£UBR*RY) 
MrUMnror 
«*••»  j 


THREE 
HISTORICAL  ADDRESSES 


AT 


GROTON,  MASSACHUSETTS 


BY 

SAMUEL   ABBOTT   GREEN 


an 


GROTON: 
1908. 


TO 

THE     MEMORY 

OF 

GEORGE    SEWALL   BOUTWELL 

JANUARY  28,  1818  —  FEBRUARY  27,  1905 

WHO   ALWAYS   TOOK.    AN    ACTIVE   PART    IN    WHATEVER 

CONCERNED    THE    WELFARE    OF 

THE    TOWN 


PREFACE 

r  I  ^HESE  several  addresses  were  delivered  on  differ- 
•*•  ent  occasions  by  request  of  the  town,  and  were 
published  originally  in  pamphlet  form.  As  they  have 
long  been  out  of  print,  they  are  now  brought  together 
and  republished  in  a  volume  for  the  greater  conven- 
ience of  those  who  take  an  interest  in  the  town.  The 
titlepages  have  been  somewhat  shortened,  but  the 
several  inscriptions  or  dedications  have  been  allowed 
to  remain.  The  Address  of  July  Fourth,  1876,  was 
given  in  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house ;  and  the 
other  two  Addresses  were  made  in  the  Town  Hall. 

The  Archives,  often  quoted  as  authority  for  state- 
ments in  the  text,  are  the  Massachusetts  Archives 
found  at  the  State  House. 

MARCH  16,  1908 


CONTENTS 

PAGES 
AN  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS,  Bi-centennial   and  Centennial, 

July  4,  1876 11-63 

AN  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS  at  the  Dedication  of  Three 
Monuments  erected  by  the  Town,  February  20, 
1880  65-1 13 

AN  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS  on  the  Two  Hundred  and 
Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the  Settlement  of  the  Town, 
July  12,  1905 U5-I59 

APPENDIX  :  The  Name  of  Groton,  by  Dr.  Edward  Mussey 
Hartwell ;  List  of  Indian  Words ;  List  of  Towns ; 
Distinguished  Citizens  ;  English  Oaks  ;  Town  Seal ; 
First  Parish  Meeting- House 161—172 

INDEX 173-181 


PAGES 

Petition  for  the  Plantation,  1655 ,      .  16,   17 

Stamp  and  Counter-stamp  issued  under  the  Act  of  1765  52 

"  Useful  Instructions,"  etc.,  Cambridge,  1673,  by   Samuel 

Willard  (Titlepage  and  Preface) 82,  83 

Town  Seal 171 

First  Parish  Meeting-House 172 


AN 

HISTORICAL  ADDRESS 

BI-CENTENNIAL  AND  CENTENNIAL 
JULY  4,  1876 


GROTON  BURNED  BY  THE  INDIANS,  1676. 
DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE,   1776. 


TO 

of  <0roton 

AND  TO 
THE  NATIVES  OF  THE  TOWN  LIVING  ELSEWHERE 

THIS    ADDRESS 

A  WILLING  TASK,  IMPERFECTLY  DONE,   IS   RESPECTFULLY 
INSCRIBED  BY  THE  WRITER. 


HISTORICAL   ADDRESS 

THE  first  century  of  our  national  existence  is  completed 
this  day,  and  we  meet  to  commemorate  the  event.  One 
hundred  years  have  passed  away  since  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  affirmed  and  a  nation  was  born  that  is 
destined  to  flourish  as  long  as  piety,  religion,  and  morality 
shall  prevail  in  the  land,  and  no  longer.  Modern  times 
have  been  full  of  great  deeds ;  but  none  of  them  is  greater 
than  that  which  declared  the  American  colonies  to  be  free, 
and  put  them  in  the -rank  of  independent  nations.  The 
rapid  development  of  the  United  States  during  this  hun- 
dred years  has  been  watched  by  thoughtful  men  throughout 
the  world,  —  by  some  with  jealousy,  by  others  with  sym- 
pathy; and  their  success  has  made  them  an  example 
for  other  countries  to  follow.  They  have  stood  the  test 
of  a  century;  and  to-day,  throughout  the  land,  the  great 
birthday  of  the  nation  is  commemorated  with  joy  and  ex- 
ultation never  before  equalled. 

The  question  may  recur,  Why  is  this  notice  taken  of  a 
century?  Why  is  a  celebration  more  fitting  now  than  next 
year  or  last  year?  It  is  because  there  is  a  tendency  in  the 
human  mind  to  divide  time  into  round  periods.  At  the 
end  of  a  century  comes  a  stopping-place,  —  a  broad  stair 
in  the  flight  of  time,  —  from  which  to  look  back  upon  any 
event  that  marked  its  beginning.  In  our  decimal  notation 
the  number  Ten  plays  an  important  part,  and  is  a  kind  of 
unit.  Originally  connected  in  meaning  with  the  fingers  of 
the  hand,  a  hundred,  in  its  primitive  signification  as  well 
as  numerically  ten  tens,  is  a  large  unit,  —  a  natural  divi- 
sion of  duration.  If  man  had  been  endowed  originally  by 
Nature  with  six  fingers  on  each  hand,  we  should  now  have 
a  duodecimal  system  of  numbers  instead  of  a  decimal  sys- 
tem; and  it  would  seem  just  as  easy  and  natural.  This 


12 

tendency  in  the  human  mind  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the 
last  census  returns  of  the  city  of  Boston.  The  number  of 
its  inhabitants  who  gave  their  ages  as  just  forty-five  is 
more  than  twice  as  large  as  the  number  of  those  who  were 
just  forty-four  or  just  forty-six.  The  number  of  those 
who  were  just  fifty  is  more  than  three  times  as  great  as 
the  number  of  those  who  were  just  forty-nine,  and  about 
five  times  as  many  as  the  number  of  those  who  were  just 
fifty-one.  According  to  these  returns,  there  are  nearly 
twice  as  many  persons  who  are  fifty-five  as  either  fifty-four 
or  fifty-six;  and  there  are  four  times  as  many  who  are 
sixty  as  either  fifty-nine  or  sixty-one.  The  tens  have  a 
stronger  attraction  than  the  fives,  and  these,  in  their  turn, 
than  the  other  numbers.  This  example,  beside  showing 
the  untrustworthy  character,  in  some  respects,  of  the  census 
returns,  —  a  point  not  now  to  my  purpose,  —  shows  how 
widely  pervading  is  the  feeling  about  round  periods;  and 
in  this  universal  feeling  is  found  the  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion why  we  have  a  celebration  at  this  time. 

The  present  year  has  also  a  bi-centennial  anniversary 
that  brings  us  together.  It  was  in  the  year  1676  that  this 
town  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  the  inhabitants, 
with  all  their  available  effects,  were  forced  to  leave  it.  A 
contemporary  account  of  the  removal  says  that  there  were 
sixty  carts  required  for  the  work,  and  that  they  extended 
along  the  road  for  more  than  two  miles.  It  was  a  sorry 
sight  to  see  this  little  community  leaving  their  homes,  which 
they  had  first  established  twenty-one  years  before.  What 
bitter  pangs  they  must  have  felt,  and  how  dark  their  future 
must  have  seemed,  as  they  turned  to  look  for  the  last  time 
upon  familiar  places,  —  their  rude  but  cherished  homes,  their 
humble  meeting-house,  in  ashes,  and  the  graves  of  their 
kindred  whom  they  had  laid  away  tenderly  in  God's  acre. 
As  they  made  their  way  along  the  rough  and  muddy  roads, 
the  hearts  of  all  were  heavy  with  grief;  and  the  mothers' 
eyes  were  dimmed  with  tears,  as  the  thought  of  blighted 
prospects  filled  their  minds,  for  no  one  could  foresee  the 
end  of  their  misfortunes.  Their  bitter  experiences,  how- 


13 

ever,  affected  more  than  one  generation.  Fortitude  is  the 
logical  result  of  hardships:  brave  parents  will  breed  brave 
children.  Our  fathers  little  thought  that  these  trials  were 
making  them  the  ancestry  of  a  strong  people,  who  them- 
selves, a  century  later,  were  to  contend  successfully  against 
the  strongest  power  in  the  world.  At  this  late  day  we 
cannot  know  all  their  sufferings,  but  we  do  know  that  they 
were  a  God-fearing  community;  and  on  this  occasion  it  is 
fitting  that  we  should  celebrate  their  virtues.  They  were  a 
plain  folk,  with  homely  traits;  and  their  best  memorial  is 
the  simple  story  of  their  lives.  For  this  reason  I  purpose 
to  give  an  unadorned  narration  of  some  of  the  more  im- 
portant events  with  which  they  were  connected  from  the 
very  beginning  of  the  town,  together  with  a  brief  account 
of  some  of  the  actors,  bringing  the  account  down  through 
the  last  century,  and  touching  lightly  upon  the  present  one. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1655,  the  township  of  Groton 
was  granted  by  the  General  Court  to  a  number  of  peti- 
tioners. It  was  situated  on  the  frontiers,  fourteen  miles 
from  the  nearest  settlement;  and  at  that  time  there  were 
but  nine  other  towns  in  Middlesex  County.  What  induce- 
ments were  held  out  to  gain  settlers  for  the  new  town,  it 
is  impossible  now  to  ascertain.  Probably,  however,  the 
country  in  this  neighborhood  had  been  reconnoitred  by 
adventurous  men  from  other  settlements;  and  it  is  likely 
that  such  persons  had  followed  the  Indian  trails,  and  pene- 
trated to  what  then  seemed  a  long  distance  into  the  wilder- 
ness. These  persons  knew  the  rivers  and  the  hills,  and  the 
lay  of  the  land  generally;  and,  after  coming  home,  they 
talked  about  the  good  farming  region.  It  would  take  but 
a  short  time  thus  to  establish  traditions  that  might  draw 
a  few  families  to  desirable  places.  It  happened  then,  as  it 
sometimes  happens  now,  that  large  fires  had  run  through 
the  woods  in  dry  weather,  and  had  burned  until  they  were 
put  out  by  some  rain-storm,  leaving  a  track  of  black  deso- 
lation that  would  last  for  many  a  year.  And,  moreover, 
there  were  small  patches  that  had  been  planted  by  the  In- 
dians with  corn,  beans,  and  squashes,  and  therefore  ready 
for  cultivation  by  whosoever  should  take  possession  of 


M 

them.  In  this  way  a  few  places  had  been  more  or  less 
cleared;  and  the  wild  grasses  had  caught-in  sufficiently  to 
furnish  fodder  for  the  cattle.  This  last  consideration  was 
a  matter  of  much  importance  to  the  settlers.  In  planting 
towns,  it  undoubtedly  weighed  with  them  in  selecting  the 
sites.  In  fact,  it  is  recorded  that,  during  some  of  those  early 
years,  feed  was  so  scarce  that  the  cattle  had  to  be  slaugh- 
tered to  save  them  from  death  by  hunger.  It  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  grass  then  was  not  cultivated  as  it  is 
now ;  nor  was  it  for  more  than  a  century  after  this  period. 
In  the  winter  cattle  had  to  be  kept  on  corn-stalks  and  the 
native  grasses,  which  the  settlers  had  gathered  wherever 
they  could;  and  it  required  rigid  economy,  even  on  these, 
to  keep  them  till  spring. 

It  was  amid  such  and  other  difficulties  that  our  fathers 
founded  their  settlements.  Prompted  by  interest  or  enter- 
prise, families  would  plant  themselves  in  the  wilderness 
and  make  new  homes  away  from  neighbors  and  far  from 
friends.  As  these  settlements  increased  in  numbers,  they 
were  constituted  towns  without  much  formality.  The  only 
Act  of  Incorporation  of  Boston,  Dorchester,  and  Water- 
town  was  an  order  of  the  General  Court  "  that  Trimoun- 
taine  shalbe  called  Boston;  Mattapan,  Dorchester;  &  the 
towne  vpon  Charles  Ryver,  Waterton." 

Towns  thus  informally  established  have  grown  up  with 
certain  rights  and  privileges  as  well  as  duties  and  obliga- 
tions, and  have  developed  into  fixed  municipal  corporations, 
as  we  find  them  to-day.  They  did  not  spring  into  existence 
full  grown  and  clothed,  like  Minerva  from  the  head  of 
Jupiter,  but  they  have  been  creatures  of  slow  growth. 
They  should  be  compared  rather  to  the  old  homestead  that 
has  been  receiving  additions  and  improvements  during  sev- 
eral generations,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  increasing 
and  constantly  changing  family,  until  finally  the  humble 
house  has  expanded  into  a  roomy  structure. 

The  prominent  idea  in  the  minds  of  the  founders  of  New 
England  appears  to  have  been  the  support  of  the  gospel  min- 
istry. After  this  came  the  management  of  their  political 
affairs  and  the  support  of  free  schools.  Captain  Edward 


15 

Johnson,  in  his  quaint  and  instructive  book,  "  Wonder- 
Working  Providence  of  Sions  Saviour,  in  New-England," 
says  that  it  was  "  as  unnatural  for  a  right  N.  E.  man  to 
live  without  an  able  Ministery,  as  for  a  Smith  to  work  his 
iron  without  a  fire;  therefore  this  people  that  went  about 
placing  down  a  Town,  began  the  foundation-stone,  with 
earnest  seeking  of  the  Lord's  assistance,  by  humbling  of 
their  souls  before  him  in  daies  of  prayer"  (p.  177).  The 
College,  which  was  established  so  early  in  the  history  of 
the  colony,  was  dedicated  "  to  Christ  and  the  Church  " ; 
and  down  to  the  present  time  this  motto  is  kept  on  the 
College-seal. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History,  says  that  "  The  original  peti- 
tion for  the  plantation  or  town  of  Groton,  is  not  found,  or 
any  record  of  it"  (p.  n).  Since  this  statement  was  made, 
however,  one  of  the  petitions  —  for  it  seems  there  were  two 
—  has  been  found  among  the  papers  of  the  late  Captain 
Samuel  Shepley,  by  Charles  Woolley,  formerly  of  this 
town,  but  now  of  Waltham.  A  copy  of  it  was  printed  in 
"  The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  " 
(xiv.  48)  for  January,  1860,  and  is  as  follows:  — 

To  the  honored  Generall  Courte  assembled  at  Boston  the  humble 
petion  of  vs  whose  names  ar  here  under  written  humbly  shoeth 

That  where  as  youre  petioners  by  a  prouidence  of  God  haue 
beene  brought  ouer  in  to  this  widernes  and  liued  longe  here  in : 
and  being  sumthing  straightned  for  that  where  by  subsistance  in 
an  ordinarie  waie  of  Gods  prouidence.  is  to  be  had  and  Con- 
sidering the  a  lowance  that  God  giues  to  the  sones  of  men  for 
such  an  ende:  youre  petioners  request  therefore  is  that  you 
would  be  pleased  to  grant  vs  a  place  for  a  plantation  vpon  the 
Riuer  that  runes  from  Nashaway  in  to  merimake  at  a  place 
or  a  boute  a  place  Caled  petaupauket  and  waubansconcett  and 
youre  petioners  shall  pray  for  youre  happy  proseedings 

WILLIM  MARTIN  .  TIMOTHY  COOPER 

RICHARD  BLOOD  JOHN  LAKIN 

JOHN  WITT  JOHN  BLOOD 

WILLIM  LAKIN  MATHU  FARRINGTON 

RICHARD  HAUEN  ROBERT  BLOOD 


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On  the  third  page  of  the  document,  the  decision  of  the 
General  Court  is  given,  which  runs  thus :  — 


6*£c*!»p  tlM3 '  •p*-J&*<t-«*&n-  /* 


A/*^"^*V**'V>*V  57'^*T'*<rv"  w""*-^-  —  ^jy  — 3-    -««*»»-£  g      *--- -. — .^i/~w, 

^F^^.-.  spf'f*>^.f^l<^*  f*rftrvfc*sfcs< 


In  Ansr  to  both  theise  peticons  The  Court  Judgeth  it  meete 
to  graunt  the  peticoners  eight  miles  square  in  the  place  desired  to 
make  a  Comfortable  plantacofi  wch  henceforth  shall  be  Called 
Groaten  formerly  knowne  by  the  name  of  Petapawage:  that 
Mr  Danforth  of  Cambridge  wth  such  as  he  shall  associate  to 
him  shall  and  hereby  is  desired  to  lay  it  out  wth  all  convenient 
speede  that  so  no  Incouragement  may  be  wanting  to  the  Peti- 
coners  for  a  speedy  procuring  of  a  godly  minister  amongst  them. 
Provided  that  none  shall  enjoy  any  part  or  porton  of  that  land 
by  guift  from  the  selectmen  of  that  place  but  such  who  shall 
build  howses  on  theire  Lotts  so  given  them  once  wthin  eighteene 
months  from  the  time  of  the  said  Tonnes  laying  out  or  Tounes 
graunt  to  such  persons ;  and  for  the  present  Mr  Deane  Winthrop 

3 


i8 


Mr  Jn°  Tinker  Mr  Tho:  Hinckly  Dolor  Davis  Wm  Martin 
Mathew  Farrington  John  Witt  and  Timothy  Couper  are  Ap- 
pointed the  selectmen  for  the  sajd  Toune  of  Groaten  for  one 
two  yeares  from  the  time  it  is  lajd  out,  to  lay  out  and  dispose 
of  particular  lotts  not  exceeding  twenty  acres  to  each  house 
lott;  And  to  order  the  prudentiall  affaires  of  the  place  at  the 
end  of  which  tjme  other  selectmen  shall  be  chosen  and  Appointed 
in  theire  roomes.  the  selectmen  of  Groaten  giving  Mr  Danforth 
such  sattis faction  for  his  service  &  paines  as  they  &  he  shall 
agree ; 

The  magists  haue  past  this  wth  reference  to  the  Consent  of 
theire  bretheren  the  depu*s  hereto 

25  May  1655  EDWARD  RAWSON  Secrety 

The  Deputies  Consent  hereto       WILLIAM  TORREY  Cleric. 


A  religious  temper  pervades  the  whole  petition,  which  in 
its  language  has  the  flavor  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  speaks 
of  their  having  been  brought  over  "  by  a  prouidence  of 
God,"  and  of  their  living  long  in  the  wilderness.  In  an- 
swer to  it,  the  Court  grants  a  tract  of  land  to  make  "  a 
Comfortable  plantacon,"  and  provides  for  its  survey  and 
prompt  location ;  naming  as  the  chief  end  the  "  speedy 
procuring  of  a  godly  minister  amongst  them,"  and  fore- 
shadowing in  its  action  some  of  the  features  of  the  modern 
Homestead  Acts  of  Congress.  From  these  expressions  we 
may  learn  the  guiding  thoughts  of  the  first  settlers  of  the 
town;  and  it  is  now  a  pious  duty  we  owe  them  to  com- 
memorate their  virtues  and  their  deeds.  They  were  men 
and  women  in  every  way  worthy  of  all  the  respect  and 
honor  we  can  pay  them;  and  I  congratulate  those  of  my 
audience  who  trace  back  their  family  line  to  that  stock. 
The  names  of  Parker,  Prescott,  and  Blood,  of  whom  there 
are  so  many  descendants  still  among  us;  of  Farnsworth, 
Lawrence,  and  Shattuck,  names  not  to  be  omitted  in  any 
historical  record  of  the  town;  of  Gilson,  Nutting,  and 
Sawtell,  worthy  forefathers  of  worthy  progeny;  of  Stone, 
Moors-,  and  Tarbell,  —  all  these  are  familiar  to  you  as  the 
names'  of  citizens  descended  from  the  founders  of  the  town; 


19 

and  there  are  other  names  equally  worthy  to  be  mentioned, 
that  will  readily  suggest  themselves. 

Mr.  Deane  Winthrop,  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  list  of  selectmen  appointed  by  the  Court,  was  a  son 
of  Governor  John  Winthrop;  and  it  is  to  him  that  we  are 
indebted  for  the  name  of  the  town.  A  native  of  Groton 
in  Old  England,  it  was  natural  for  him  to  wish  to  keep 
the  name  fresh  and  fragrant  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
Groton,  in  Connecticut,  —  younger  by  half  a  century,  and 
famous  as  the  scene  of  the  heroic  Ledyard's  death,  —  owes 
its  name  to  the  same  family.  Groton,  in  New  York,  was 
settled,  in  part,  by  families  from  this  town.  New  Hampshire 
and  Vermont  both  have  towns  named  Groton,  though  they 
are  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  Why  they  were  so 
called  I  have  been  unable  to  find  out,  unless  it  was  that  the 
fair  fame  and  reputation  of  the  one  in  Massachusetts  had 
made  the  name  auspicious. 

There  was  a  place  in  Roxbury,  a  hundred  and  thirty 
years  ago,  that  was  sometimes  called  Groton.*  It  was  a 
corruption  of  Greaton,  the  name  of  the  man  who  kept  the 
"  Grey  Hound  "  tavern  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  word  Groton,  the  same  as  the  Grotena  of  Domesday 
Book,  probably  means  Grit-town,  or  Sand-town,  —  from 
the  Anglo-Saxon,  great,  grit,  sand,  dust;  and  tun,  village 
or  town.  The  locality  of  the  English  Groton  is  in  fact  a 
sandy  one.  A  proper  pride  of  birth  would  suggest  that  the 
name  was  doubtless  also  appropriate  by  reason  of  the  GRIT 
or  pluck,  now  as  well  as  then,  characteristic  of  the  people 
of  any  town  so  named. 

Groton,  in  Suffolk,  England,  is  an  ancient  place,  —  there 
being  a  record  in  Domesday  Book  of  its  population  and 
wealth,  in  some  detail,  at  the  time  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, and  also  before  him,  under  the  Anglo-Saxon  King, 
Edward  the  Confessor.  A  literal  translation  of  this  cen- 
sus return  of  seven  hundred  and  ninety  years  ago  is  as 
follows :  — 

*  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register,  xxiv.  56  note,  60. 


20 


In  the  time  of  King  Edward  *  Saint  Edmund  held  Groton 
for  a  manor,  one  carucate  t  and  a  half  of  land.  Always  [there 
were]  8  villeins  and  5  bordarii  [a  rather  higher  sort  of  serfs ; 
cotters].  Always  [there  was]  i  plough  in  demesne.  Always 
2  ploughs  of  homagers  [tenants]  and  I  acre  of  meadow.  A 
mill,  for  winter.  Always  I  work-horse  and  7  cattle  and  16 
swine  and  30  sheep  and  2  free  men  of  half  a  carucate  of 
land  and  they  could  give  and  sell  their  land.  Seven  bordarii. 
Always  i  plough  &  I  acre  of  meadow  [belonging  to  these 
7  bordarii.]  Then  [i.  e.,  under  King  Edward]  it  was  worth 
30  shillings,  and  now  40.  It  has  in  length  7  furlongs  and 
4  in  breadth.  In  the  same,  12  free  men  and  they  have  i  caru- 
cate and  it  is  worth  20  shillings.  All  these  could  give  and 
sell  their  land  in  the  time  of  King  Edward.  Saint  Edmond 
has  the  soc,  protection  and  servitude  [i.  e.,  the  lord's  legal 
rights].  7  pence  of  gelt  [i.e.,  Dane-geld],  but  others  hold 
there. 

Such  were  the  census  returns,  made  nearly  eight  hundred 
years  ago,  of  the  place  from  which  our  good  old  name  is 
taken,  and  which  on  that  account  will  always  be  of  interest 
to  us. 

It  is  curious  to  note  the  different  ways  which  our  fathers 
had  of  spelling  the  name;  and  the  same  persons  took  little 
or  no  care  to  write  it  uniformly.  In  those  days  they  paid 
scarcely  any  attention  to  what  is  now  regarded  as  an  im- 
portant branch  of  education.  Among  the  documents  and 
papers  that  I  have  had  occasion  to  consult  and  use  in  the 
preparation  of  this  address,  I  find  the  word  spelled  in 
twenty-three  different  ways;  viz.,  Groton,  Grotton,  Groten, 
Grotten,  Grotin,  Groatne,  Groaton,  Groatt.on,  Groaten, 
Grooton,  Grorton,  Grotonne,  Grouten,  Crouton,  Grauton, 
Grautten,  Grawten,  Grawton,  Growtin,  Growton,  Groyton, 
Groughton,  and  Croaton. 

*  Some  idea  of  the  condensed  character  of  the  entries  in  Domesday  Book 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  transcript  of  the  Latin  beginning  of  the 
account  of  Groton,  in  which  the  matter  within  the  brackets  is  what  the  Norman 
scrivener  omitted:  "  Grotena[m]  tfempore]  r[egis]  E[dvardi]  tenfuit]  S[anctus] 
e[dmundus]  p[ro]  manferio],"  etc. 

t  The  carucate  was  a  "  plough  land,"  and  is  variously  set  at  from  twelve  to 
one  hundred  acres. 


21 


Dictionaries  of  our  language  were  hardly  known  at  that 
time  and  there  was  no  standard  for  spelling;  and  it  seems 
as  if  every  one  spelled  according  to  his  own  feelings  at  the 
moment.  In  many  cases  the  odder  the  form,  the  better. 
As  an  instance  of  orthographic  license  then  prevalent,  it  is 
said  that  there  are  sixty-five  different  modes  in  which  the 
name  of  Shakespeare  was  written. 

Yonder  river,  familiar  to  us  as  the  Nashua,  is  spoken  of 
in  a  record  by  Thomas  Noyes,  in  1659,  as  the  Groaten 
River,  and  is  called  so  more  than  once.  While  this  would 
have  gratified  our  local  pride,  I  am  not  sorry  that  the  name 
Nashua  was  finally  kept.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  few 
of  the  Indian  words  have  been  retained  by  us  to  designate 
the  rivers  and  the  hills  and  other  localities.  However  much 
such  words  may  have  been  twisted  and  distorted  by  Eng- 
lish pronunciation  and  misapplication,  they  furnish  us  now 
with  one  of  the  few  links  that  connect  us  with  prehistoric 
times  in  America.  The  word  Nashua,*  in  its  fulness  and 
before  it  was  clipped,  meant  the  land  between,  and  referred 
to  the  tract  on  which  Lancaster  was  settled,  because  it  was 
betzveen  the  branches  of  the  river;  the  name,  however, 
was  afterward  transferred  from  the  territory  to  the  river 
itself. 

Among  the  earliest  papers  at  the  State  House,  relating 
to  the  town,  is  a  request  for  a  brandmark.  Joseph  Parker 
represents  to  the  Governor  and  Magistrates,  in  a  writing 
dated  May  31,  1666,  that  he  has  been  chosen  constable, 
and  asks  that  the  letters  GR  —  or  monogram,  as  we  should 
call  it  —  be  recorded  as  the  brandmark  of  the  town.  This 
was  wanted  probably  for  marking  cattle.  "  In  answer  to 
this  motion  the  Deputies  approue  of  the  letters :  GR  to  be 
the  brand  marke  of  groaten."  (Archives,  i.  21.) 

Very  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  town,  there  was  a 
complaint  of  improper  management  on  the  part  of  the  pro- 
prietors, and  the  General  Court  appointed  a  committee  to 
look  into  the  matter.  This  committee  visited  the  place,  and 
reported  on  "  the  entanglements  that  have  obstructed  the 

*  Collections  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  ii.  33. 


22 

planting  thereof,"  giving  at  the  same  time  their  opinion 
that  there  was  land  enough  here  to  furnish  subsistence  by 
husbandry  to  sixty  families.  When  we  consider  that  this 
opinion  was  the  result  of  deliberate  calculation,  on  the  part 
of  disinterested  men,  before  the  town  was  shorn  of  its 
original  dimensions,  it  shows  the  vanity  of  human  prophecy, 
and  should  serve  as  a  warning  to  us  all  to  abstain  from 
prediction  in  regard  to  a  century  hence.  There  are  now 
nearly  ten  thousand  persons  in  the  territory  of  the  original 
Groton  Plantation,  living  mainly  by  the  products  of  the 
land. 

For  some  years  before  the  destruction  of  the  town  the 
Indians  began  to  threaten  the  inhabitants.  They  were 
troublesome  neighbors  at  best,  and  their  movements  re- 
quired careful  watching.  Some  of  them  were  friendly,  but 
others  were  hostile  and  treacherous.  They  had  already 
acquired  the  taste  for  strong  drink,  and,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  drunken  brawls  and  rights,  which  ended  in  mur- 
der, had  taken  place  between  them  and  the  settlers.  In 
May,  1668,  Captain  Richard  Waldron  built  a  trucking  or 
trading  house  at  Penacook,  now  Concord,  New  Hampshire, 
where  a  few  weeks  afterward  Thomas  Dickinson  was 
murdered  by  an  Indian ;  and  "  rum  did  it."  The  affair 
created  great  excitement,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that 
the  brawl  prevented  a  settlement  of  the  place  at  that  time; 
at  any  rate,  none  was  made  until  1726.  A  warrant  was 
issued  to  the  constable  of  Groton  to  summon  John  Page, 
Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr.,  Joseph  Blood,  and  Robert  Parish,  all 
of  this  town,  to  appear  before  the  General  Court  at  Boston 
to  give  their  testimony,  which  they  did  under  oath.  It 
appeared  from  the  evidence  that  there  had  been  a  drunken 
row,  and  that  Tohaunto,  the  chief,  desired  them,  if  they 
had  brought  any  liquor,  to  pour  it  on  the  ground;  for, 
said  he,  it  will  make  the  Indians  "  all  one  Divill."  From 
this  it  would  seem  that  rum  in  those  days  was  about  the 
same  as  it  is  now,  —  no  better  and  no  worse,  —  for  it  still 
makes  people  all  one  devil.  (Archives,  xxx.  155,  157,  161.) 

Many  of  the  Indians  had  now  been  supplied  with  fire- 


23 

arms,  which  made  them  bold  and  insolent,  and  it  is  not 
strange  that  the  natural  tendency  of  events  should  have 
been  toward  open  hostilities.  We  can  readily  understand 
how  the  fears  of  the  colonists  were  excited  when  they 
thought  of  their  own  helpless  families  and  their  exposed 
situation.  It  betokened  no  cowardice  to  entertain  this  feel- 
ing, and  it  was  the  part  of  wisdom  to  prepare  for  the  worst. 
At  an  early  day  there  was  a  military  organization  in  the 
town,  and  we  find  the  following  order  in  the  printed 
Records  of  Massachusetts,  passed  October  15,  1673:  — 

The  millitary  company  of  Groaten  being  distitut  of  military 
officers,  the  Court  judgeth  it  meet  to  choose  &  appoint  James 
Parker  to  be  theire  captaine,  Wm  Lakin  to  be  leiftennant,  & 
Nathaniel  Lawrence  to  be  their  ensigne. 

The  thunder  of  the  distant  storm  now  began  to  be  heard, 
and  the  colonists  were  asking  for  protection.  They  little 
thought  that  the  lightning  was  to  strike  so  soon  and  with 
such  fatal  violence;  but  in  the  providence  of  God  it  was 
thus  ordained. 

Captain  Parker  writes  to  Governor  Leverett,  under  date 
of  August  25,  1675,  tnat  tne  inhabitants  "  are  in  a  very 
great  strait,"  and  "  are  very  much  discouraged  in  their 
spirits " ;  that  they  want  ammunition  and  twenty  good 
muskets  for  their  pike  men.  The  letter  itself,  with  the 
quaint  expressions  of  two  centuries  ago,  will  give  you  a 
better  idea  of  their  narrow  circumstances  than  any  ex- 
tracts from  it ;  so  I  read  it  entire :  — 

To  the  honoured  John  Leueret  Esquir  Gouernour  of  the  Massechusets 
Collony  ar 

Honoured  Sir  with  the  rest  of  your  counsell  I  hau  made 
bold  to  en  form  your  worships  how  the  case  stand  with  vs  that 
the  Indians  are  aproachs  near  to  vs  our  scouts  hau  discouerd 
seuerall  tracks  very  near  the  habitable  parts  of  the  town  and 
one  Indian  they  discouered  but  escapt  from  them  by  Skulking 
amongst  the  bushes  and  som  of  the  Inhabitants  of  our  town 
haue  heard  them  in  the  night  singing  and  halloeing.  which 
doe  determin  to  vs  their  great  height  of  Insolency :  we  are  in  a 


24 

very  great  strait  here,  our  Inhabitants  are  very  much  discour- 
aged in  their  spirits  and  theirby  disenabled  from  their  callings 
I  haue  receiued  20  men  from  the  worship  fall  Major  Wellard 
and  Captain  Mossells  men  to  help  secur  our  town,  but  notwith- 
standing we  are  in  a  very  weak  capacity  to  defend  ourselues 
against  the  Insolency  and  potency  of  the  enemy  if  they  shold 
apear  in  number  and  with  that  violenc  that  they  did  apear  at 
quabog  [Brookfield]  the  which  the  good  lord  forbid  if  it  be  his 
good  pleasur, '  much  honoured  and  respected  the  good  lord 
be  with  you  In  your  consultations  that  you  may  vnderstand  what 
to  doe  for  your  new  england  Israeli  at  such  a  tim  as  this  and  in 
perticuler  ourselues  and  for  our  dear  neighbours  at  Lancester 
vpon  whom  the  enemy  haue  made  an  Inroad  6  persons  are 
already  found  and  buryed  the  7th  which  they  doe  expect  is  kild 
is  not  as  yet  found  you  may  be  pleased  to  tak  notice  that  we 
shall  want  ammunition  spedily  by  reason  that  we  hau  parted 
with  som  to  Cap1  Mosselles  men  and  som  we  spent  in  the  fight 
at  quabog  as  also  I  hau  suplyed  the  souldiers  with  amunition 
that  were  sent  .to  me  that  was  Imployed  in  the  seruice  they 
hauing  spent  their  ammunition  If  you  could  help  vs  with  20 
good  muskets  for  our  pik  men  and  I  will  return  them  again  or 
else  giu  a  valluable  price  for  them  in  such  pay  as  we  can  pro- 
duce among  ourselues  not  else  at  present  but  leaue  you  to  the 
guidance  of  the  God  of  heauen  who  is  the  only  wise  counsellor 
and  remaine  y. 

Your  seruant  to  comaund  in  any  seruice  to  my  power 

TAMES  PARKER  Cap* 
from  Groten 

August  25  75 

(Archives,  Ixvii.  244.) 

A  few  days  before  the  date  of  this  letter,  Captain  Samuel 
Moseley  writes  "  ffrom  Nashowah  Allies  Lankester:  i6l.h 
Augs*  1675,"  that,  in  accordance  with  instructions  from 
Major-General  Etenison,  he  had  sent  "  to  Groatton  :  12  : 
men." 

In  those  days  there  was  no  physician  in  town  to  offer  his 
professional  skill  to  the  government  in  its  time  of  need; 
and  it  was  necessary  to  impress  into  the  public  service  a 
surgeon,  as  well  as  a  horse  and  accoutrements,  as  we  find 
from  the  following  order  addressed  — 


25 

To  THE  CONSTABLE  OF  BOSTON. 

These  Require  you  in  his  Maj*?8  name  forthwith  to  Im- 
presse  Mr  Wm  Haukins  Chirurgeon :  Imediately  to  prepare 
himself  wth  materials  as  Chirurgeon  &  to  dispatch  to  Marlboro, 
to  Cap*  Mosely  &  attend  his  motion  &  souldiers  at  Groaten.  or 
elsewhere  :  for  wch  End  you  are  also  to  Impresse  an  able  horse 
&  furniture  for  him  to  Goe :  wth  the  Post 

dated  at  Boston  17  Augus*  1675  making  Return  hereof  to 
the  Secret^ 

By  ye  Council 

(Archives,  Ixvii.  239,  241,  252.)          EDW-  RAWSON  Secret* 

And  the  constable  made  the  indorsement  on  the  order 
that  Dr.  Hawkins  had  been  duly  warned. 

At  this  time  Philip's  War  had  begun,  and  open  hostilities 
had  alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  the  town.  The  Council 
passed  an  order,  September  8,  1675,  that  Cornet  Thomas 
Brattle  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  Henchman  should  take  fifty 
men,  of  which  thirty  were  to  come  from  Norfolk  and 
twenty  from  Middlesex,  and  place  them  in  the  garrisons 
of  Dunstable,  Groton,  and  Lancaster,  in  such  proportions 
as  they  should  deem  expedient.  They  were  to  place  them 
"  vnder  the  coffiand  of  the  cheefe  military  officers  of  each 
towne :  giueing  those  officers  direction :  to  joyne  &  lyst  other 
meet  persons  of  their  owne  companyes  with  them,  &  order 
them  euery  day  to  surraund  the  townes  yey  are  to  secure; 
&  if  they  can  to  carry  doggs  with  ym  to  search  for  &  discouer 
any  enimy  that  may  aproch  nere  such  towne  &  at  night  to 
repaire  vnto  such  corps  du  gaurd,  as  are  appointed  to  them 
for  the  security  of  the  sd  place."  (Archives,  Ixvii.  252.) 

About  this  time  the  question  of  withdrawing  a  consider- 
able force  from  the  garrisons  seems  to  have  been  consid- 
ered; but  a  protest  against  such  action  was  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  Simon  Willard  and  three  others,  who  were  prob- 
ably the  officers  in  command.  From  the  representation  they 
made,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  troops  were  taken  away. 

In  the  autumn  (October  27)  of  this  year,  the  town  was 
assessed  £n  los.  as  her  rate  to  carry  on  the  war;  and, 
when  paid  in  money,  one-quarter  to  be  abated. 

4 


26 


The  coming  winter  must  have  been  a  hard  one  for  the 
colonists,  not  only  here  but  elsewhere  throughout  New 
England.  The  Indians  had  burned  some  towns  and  threat- 
ened others,  and  it  was  a  season  of  distrust  and  despair. 
The  time  was  rapidly  approaching  for  Groton  to  suffer; 
and  soon  the  stroke  came.  The  inhabitants  would  have  been 
more  than  human  if  they  had  not  felt  despondent  at  the 
hard  fate  that  had  now  befallen  them.  They  had  seen  their 
houses  and  barns  burned,  and  all  the  results  of  their  labor 
and  thrift  destroyed  in  a  day.  The  little  meeting-house, 
rudely  constructed  but  no  less  dear  to  them,  was  now  a  heap 
of  ashes.  To-day  its  very  site  is  unknown.  Some  words 
of  consolation,  and  exhortation  to  trust  in  the  providence 
of  God,  fell  from  the  lips  of  their  good  pastor,  Mr.  Willard, 
as  they  looked  tearfully  on  their  ruined  homes.  He  had 
been  their  guide  and  teacher  during  thirteen  years;  and 
much  that  is  interesting  is  known  about  him. 

Samuel  Willard  was  born  at  Concord,  on  January  31, 
1639—40.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Major  Simon  Willard, 
late  in  life  an  inhabitant  of  this  town,  and  he  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  the  Class  of  1659,  being  the  only  mem- 
ber of  the  class  who  took  his  second  degree.  He  came  here 
to  succeed  Mr.  John  Millef»  the  first  minister  of  the  town, 
who  died  on  June  I2>  1663.  Mr.  Willard  began  to  preach 
probably  early  in  1663,  In  that  year,  on  the  twenty-first  of 
some  month,  —  conjectured  to  be  June,  the  words  of  the 
records  being  so  worn  as  to  be  illegible,  —  it  was  voted 
"  that  Mr.  Willard  if  he  accept  of  it  shall  be  their  minester 
as  long  as  he  Hues."  Against  this  action  there  were  five 
,  dissentient  votes,  which  number  constituted  probably  a  fourth 
part  of  all  the  voters;  and  they  certainly  were  among  the 
principal  and  most  influential  inhabitants  of  the  town.  Mr. 
Willard  must  have  been  a  man  of  a  good  deal  of  character  to 
have  been  settled  in  spite  of  this  opposition,  but  he  seems  to 
have  lived  it  down  very  successfully.  His  relations  with  the 
people  were  always  harmonious ;  and  his  salary  was  gradu- 
ally increased  until  it  was  double  the  original  amount.  The 
first  year  of  his  ministry,  it  was  fixed  at  forty  pounds ;  the 


27 

second  year,  at  fifty  pounds ;  the  third  and  several  successive 
years,  at  sixty  pounds ;  and  finally  at  eighty,  part  of  it  being 
in  country  pay.  This  was  the  old  expression  for  paying  in 
produce.  And  when  the  salary  was  voted,  on  October  14, 
1672,  it  was  reckoned  at  five  shillings  a  bushel  for  wheat; 
four  shillings  for  rye,  barley,  and  peas;  with  pork  and 
beef  at  threepence  a  pound ;  "  and  all  such  as  cannot  pay 
his  third  part  of  his  pay  in  english  corn  and  prouision  they 
shall  pay  In  Indian  corn  at  2  shill  p  bushell  and  the  re- 
mainder of  his  pay  In  Indian  Corn  at  3  shill  p  bushell  his 
fire  wood  also  aboue  his  eighty  pound.  And  furder  these 
persons  here  set  downe  [Sergeant  Parker  and  eleven  others] 
doe  promise  and  Ingage  to  git  Mr.  Willard  hay  mowing 
making  and  fetching  home  for  eight  shilling  p  load  at  a 
seasonable  time  (viz.)  in  the  midle  of  July." 

In  his  day  Mr.  Willard  was  a  scholar  and  writer  of  con- 
siderable note,  and  even  now  would  be  considered  such. 
But  little  is  known  of  his  early  life;  and  no  church  record 
during  his  ministry  in  Groton  is  extant.  Coming  here  in 
the  vigor  of  young  manhood,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
—  if  we  may  judge  him  from  the  high  position  he  after- 
ward attained,  —  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  he  exerted  a 
strong  influence  in  this  neighborhood.  It  is  probable  that 
his  early  experiences  here  fitted  him  for  the  places  of  honor 
and  dignity  which  he  was  subsequently  called  upon  to  fill. 
A  few  weeks  after  his  settlement,  he  married  Abigail 
Sherman,  a  daughter  of  the  Reverend  John  Sherman,  of 
Watertown ;  and,  after  her  death,  he  married,  as  his  second 
wife,  Eunice,  daughter  of  Edward  Tyng.  He  had  a  large 
family  of  children,  of  whom  five  were  born  in  this  town. 
One  of  his  great-grandsons,  Robert  Treat  Paine,  was  a 
signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

In  the  year  1673  Mr.  Willard  published  a  volume  of 
sermons  entitled  "  Useful  Instructions  for  a  professing 
People  in  Times  of  great  Security  and  Degeneracy:  de- 
livered in  several  Sermons  on  Solemn  Occasions." 

It  consists  of  three  sermons,  of  which  one  was  preached, 
probably  in  the  winter  of  1671-2,  on  the  occasion  of  a 


28 


case  of  witchcraft  that  I  shall  mention  shortly.  It  is  evi- 
dent, from  a  reference  in  the  sermon,  that  the  fame  or 
notoriety  of  the  case  had  spread  far  from  this  town.  Mr. 
Willard  says :  "  There  is  a  voice  in  it  to  the  whole  Land, 
but  in  a  more  especial  manner  to  poor  Grot  on;  it  is  not 
a  Judgement  afar  off,  but  it  is  near  us,  yea  among  us." 

The  book  is  inscribed,  "  To  his  Beloved  Friends  the 
Inhabitants  of  Groton."  Like  all  the  publications  of  that 
time,  it  is  purely  theological,  and  contains  nothing  now  of 
particular  interest.  If  he  had  given  us  even  a  few  lines 
of  town  history,  it  would  be  now  almost  invaluable.  We 
look  in  vain  through  its  pages  for  anything  that  throws 
light  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  early  settlers.  We 
do  find,  however,  the  modes  and  habits  of  thought  that 
were  prevalent  in  those  days;  and  with  these  we  must  be 
content,  for  the  sermons  furnish  nothing  more. 

In  the  year  1671  there  occurred  here  a  case  of  so-called 
witchcraft,  to  which  Mr.  Willard  gave  much  time  and 
thought.  He  wrote  a  very  long  letter  (Collections,  fourth 
series,  viii.  555)  to  Cotton  Mather,  describing  the  minutest 
details  in  regard  to  the  case,  and  Dr.  Mather  refers  to  it 
in  his  "  Magnalia  Christi  Americana."  (Book  vi.  chapter 
7,  page  67.)  The  victim  of  the  witchcraft  was  one  Eliza- 
beth Knap,  who  had  the  long  train  of  symptoms  which 
then  were  usually  ascribed  to  the  personal  influence  of  the 
Evil  One,  but  which  nowadays  would  constitute  a  well- 
marked  case  of  hysteria.  From  an  expression  in  Mr. 
Willard's  letter,  we  learn  that  the  girl  went  to  school  in 
his  house,  from  which  fact  we  infer  that  the  minister  of 
the  town  was  also  a  teacher  of  the  children.  At  one  time 
on  Sundays  his  dwelling  was  used  as  a  meeting-house,  and 
at  other  times  as  a  schoolhouse.  Its  exact  locality  is  not 
known  to  us,  though  it  was  in  the  present  Main  Street,  near 
the  site  of  the  High  School  building.  From  another  ex- 
pression in  the  letter,  we  learn  there  was  "  a  great  meadow 
neere  the  house,"  which  could  be  seen  from  one  of  the 
windows  in  a  lower  room,  undoubtedly  referring  to  Broad 
Meadow. 


29 

The  assault  by  the  Indians  on  the  town  was  followed  by 
the  breaking  up  of  the  place  and  the  scattering  of  its  in- 
habitants. Mr.  Willard  never  returned  to  his  pastorate. 
Soon  afterward  he  wans  installed  over  the  Old  South  Church  in 
Boston,  as  the  colleague  of  the  Reverend  Thomas  Thacher. 
In  the  year  1701  he  was  chosen  Vice-President  of  Harvard 
College,  which  office  he  filled  till  his  death,  at  the  same  time 
performing  the  duties  of  minister  of  the  Old  South.  His 
connection  with  the  College  was  really  that  of  President, 
although  he  was  called  the  Vice-President.  The  distinction 
was  nominal  rather  than  real.  The  President  was  obliged 
by  the  rules  to  live  at  Cambridge,  and  this  he  was  unwill- 
ing to  do;  so  he  acted  as  such  without  the  title. 

As  minister  of  the  Old  South,  Mr.  Willard  baptized 
Benjamin  Franklin.  The  young  philosopher  was  born 
in  Milk  Street,  directly  opposite  to  the  meeting-house, 
whither  he  was  taken  to  receive  the  sacrament  of  baptism 
while  yet  his  earthly  pilgrimage  was  limited  to  a  few  hours 
of  time. 

Mr.  Willard's  health  began  to  fail,  as  he  approached  his 
threescore  years  and  ten,  the  period  of  life  allotted  by  the 
Psalmist,  and  he  presided  for  the  last  time  at  the  College 
Commencement,  in  July,  1707.  In  August,  the  Governor 
and  Council  were  notified  that  he  was  not  capable  of  doing 
the  work  at  Cambridge  for  another  year.  He  died  on 
September  12,  1707. 

Dr.  Ebenezer .  Pemberton,  in  his  funeral  sermon,  says  of 
him  that,  "  At  first  in  his  younger  Years,  his  Master  com- 
mitted to  his  Pastoral  Care  a  Flock  in  a  more  obscure  part 
of  this  Wilderness :  But  so  great  a  Light  was  soon  ob- 
served thro'  the  whole  Land :  And  his  Lord  did  not  design 
to  bury  him  in  obscurity,  but  to  place  him  in  a  more  Emi- 
nent station  which  he  was  qualified  for  "  (p.  70). 

Several  printed  accounts  of  Philip's  War  appeared  very 
soon  after  it  was  ended;  and  these  furnish  nearly  all  that 
is  known  in  regard  to  it.  In  those  days  there  was  no 
special  correspondent  on  the  spot  to  get  the  news;  and,  as 
the  facilities  for  intercommunication  were  limited,  these  ac- 


30 

counts  differ  somewhat  in  the  details,  but,  taken  as  a  whole, 
they  are  fairly  accurate. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate  on  file  in  the 
Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge  that  Timothy 
Cooper,  of  Groton,  was  "  Sleine  by  the  Indians  the  Second 
of  march  1675-6."  Cooper  was  an  Englishman  by  birth 
and  lived,  probably,  somewhere  between  the  present  site 
of  the  Baptist  Meeting-house  and  the  northerly  end  of 
Farmers'  Row.  It  is  not  known  that  there  was  other  loss 
of  life  in  the  assault  of  March  2,  but  the  affair  was  seri- 
ous enough  to  alarm  the  inhabitants.  On  March  9  the 
savages  again  threatened  the  beleaguered  town,  and  again 
for  the  third  time  on  March  13,  when  by  a  cunningly 
contrived  ambush  they  managed  to  entrap  four  men  at 
work,  of  whom  one  man  was  killed  and  one  captured,  while 
the  other  two  men  escaped.  Without  much  doubt  John 
Nutting  was  the  one  killed.  During  these  three  assaults 
so  many  houses  and  barns  were  burned  that  the  inhabitants 
were  left  thoroughly  disabled  and  without  means  of  living. 
The  alternative  now  was  to  abandon  the  place,  which  soon 
followed. 

The  loss  of  life  or  limb  sustained  by  the  English  during 
these  attacks,  fortunately,  was  not  large.  So  far  as  is  now 
known,  only  two  persons  were  killed  and  two  wounded. 
It  is  recorded,  however,  that  John  Morse,  the  town-clerk, 
was  carried  off;  but  he  did  not  remain  long  a  prisoner. 
Within  a  few  months  of  his  capture,  he  was  ransomed  by 
Mr.  John  Hubbard,  of  Boston,  who  paid  about  five  pounds 
for  his  release.  This  sum  was  soon  afterward  reimbursed 
to  Mr.  Hubbard  by  a  vote  of  the  Council.  (Archives, 
Ixix.  48.) 

These  contemporary  accounts  of  the  assault  on  the  town 
are  all  short,  with  the  exception  of  Hubbard's;  and  I 
purpose  to  give  them,  in  the  words  of  the  writers,  for 
what  they  are  worth.  The  first  is  from  "  A  Brief  History 
of  the  Warr  With  the  Indians  in  New-England,"  by  In- 
crease Mather,  published  in  the  year  1676.  This  account 
—  probably  the  earliest  in  print  —  is  as  follows :  — 


March  the  loth.  Mischief  was  done,  and  several  lives  cut 
off  by  the  Indians  this  day,  at  Groton  and  at  Sudbury.  An 
humbling  Providence,  inasmuch  as  many  Churches  were  this 
day  Fasting  and  Praying  (p.  23). 

March  13.  The  Indians  assaulted  Groton,  and  left  but  few 
houses  standing.  So  that  this  day  also  another  Candlestick  was 
removed  out  of  its  place.  One  of  the  first  houses  that  the 
Enemy  destroyed  in  this  place  was  the  House  of  God,  h.e.  which 
was  built,  and  set  apart  for  the  celebration  of  the  publick  Wor- 
ship of  God. 

When  they  had  done  that,  they  scoffed  and  blasphemed,  and 
came  to  Mr.  Willard  (the  worthy  Pastor  of  the  Church  there) 
his  house  (which  being  Fortified,  they  attempted  not  to  destroy 
it)  and  tauntingly,  said,  What  will  you  do  for  a  house  to  pray 
in  now  we  have  burnt  your  Meeting-house?  Thus  hath  thd 
Enemy  done  wickedly  in  the  Sanctuary,  they  have  burnt  up 
the  Synagogues  of  God  in  the  Land;  they  have  cast  fire  into 
the  Sanctuary;  they  have  cast  down  the  dwelling  place  of  his 
name  to  the  Ground.  O  God,  hozv  long  shall  the  Adversary 
reproach?  shall  the  Enemy  Blaspheme  thy  Name  for  ever? 
•why  withdrawest  thou  thine  hand,  even  thy  right  hand?  pluck 
it  out  of  thy  bosome  (p.  24). 

Several  accounts  of  the  war  appeared  in  London  in  1676, 
only  a  few  months  after  the  destruction  of  this  town.  They 
were  written  in  New  England,  and  sent  to  Old  England, 
where  they  were  at  once  published  in  thin  pamphlets.  The 
authors  are  now  unknown,  and  they  undoubtedly  gathered 
their  matter  from  hearsay.  At  that  time  Indian  affairs 
in  New  England  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  in  the 
mother  country.  One  of  these  pamphlets  is  entitled  "  A 
True  Account  of  the  most  Considerable  Occurrences  that 
have  hapned  in  the  Warre  between  the  English  and  the 
Indians  in  New  England,"  "  as  it  hath  been  communicated 
by  Letters  to  a  Friend  in  London." 

This  account  says  that  — 

On  the  1 3th  of  March,  before  our  Forces  could  return 
towards  our  Parts,  the  Indians  sent  a  strong  Party,  and  as- 
saulted the  Town  of  Growton  about  forty  Miles  North-west 
from  Boston,  and  burn'd  all  the  deserted  Houses:  the  Gar- 


32 

rison'd  Houses,  which  were  about  ten,  all  escaped  but  one, 
which  they  carryed,  but  not  the  English  in  it;  for  there  was 
but  one  slain  and  two  wounded  (p.  2). 

Another  account,  entitled  "  A  New  and  Further  Narra- 
tion of  the  State  of  New  England,  being  a  continued  ac- 
count of  the  Bloudy  Indian-war,"  gives  the  following 
version :  — 

The  1 4th  of  March,  the  savage  Enemy  set  upon  a  consider- 
erable  Town  called  Groughton,  and  burnt  Major  Wilberds 
House  first  (who  with  his  Family  removed  to  Charts  Town)  and 
afterwards  destroyed  sixty-five  Dwelling-houses  more  there, 
leaving  but  six  Houses  standing  in  the  whole  Town,  which  they 
likewise  furiously  attempted  to  set  on  Fire ;  But  being  fortified 
with  Arms  and  Men  as  Garrisons,  they  with  their  Shot,  killed 
several  of  the  Enemy,  and  prevented  so  much  of  their  Designe ; 
Nor  do  we  hear  that  any  Person  on  our  Side  was  here  either 
slain  or  taken  Captive  (p.  4). 

A  few  pages  further  on,  it  says  that  "  Granthatn  and 
Nashaway  all  ruined  but  one  House  or  two"  (p.  14). 
Few  persons  would  recognize  this  town  under  the  disguise 
of  Grantham;  and  Nashaway  is  an  old  name  for  Lancaster. 

Another  one  of  these  London  pamphlets,  bearing  the  title 
of  "  News  from  New  England,"  says,  — 

The  7//z.  of  March  following  these  bloody  Indians  march't 
to  a  considerable  Town  called  Croaton,  where  first  they  set  Fire 
to  Major  Willard's  House,  and  afterwards  burnt  65  more,  there 
being  Seaventy  two  Houses  at  first,  so  that  there  was  left  stand-* 
ing  but  six  Houses  of  the  whole  Town  (p.  4). 

After  these  attacks,  the  town  was  deserted,  and  the 
inhabitants  scattered  in  various  directions  among  their 
friends  and  kindred.  The  war  was  soon  ended;  though 
it  was  a  tedious  two  years  before  the  early  pioneers  ven- 
tured back  to  their  old  homes,  around  which  still  clustered 
many  tender  associations  as  well  as  sad  memories.  It  is 
recorded  that  other  families  came  back  with  them.  They 
returned,  however,  to  meet  hardships  that  would  have  over- 
come ordinary  men.  Several  town-meetings  were  held  to 


33 

consider  their  present  needs;  and  it  was  voted  at  one  of 
them  to  petition  the  General  Court  that  they  be  relieved 
temporarily  from  country  charges.  The  petition  sets  forth 
that,  under  Divine  Providence,  they  had  been  great  suf- 
ferers in  the  late  war  with  the  heathenish  enemy ;  that  they 
had  been  subjected  to  grievous  losses  and  privations;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  they  expressed  gratitude  to  their  Heavenly 
Father  that  they  had  the  liberty  and  opportunity  to  return. 
With  the  eye  of  faith  they  saw  the  hand  of  God  in  all 
their  trials.  This  consolation  alone  supported  them,  for 
they  knew  that  with  Him  on  their  side  their  troubles  would 
disappear,  and  all  would  yet  be  well.  In  their  letters  and 
petitions,  their  humble  trust  in  the  providence  of  God  is 
conspicuous.  It  furnishes  the  key-note  to  many  of  their 
actions  that  otherwise  would  seem  unaccountable.  In  judg- 
ing them,  we  should  take  the  standard  of  their  times  and 
not  that  of  our  day.  The  scales  should  be  carefully  ad- 
justed to  the  habits  of  that  period  when  there  were  no 
public  amusements,  no  popular  reading  in  the  shape  of 
books  and  newspapers,  and  but  little  relaxation  from 
toil. 

In  those  early  days  there  was  no  variety  store,  or  trader's 
shop,  as  now,  where  people  could  gather  to  while  away  long 
evenings  and  to  interchange  opinions.  The  roads  were  so 
rough  as  to  be  passable  only  with  rude  carts ;  and  carriages 
at  that  period  were  a  luxury  unknown.  The  men  rode  to 
meeting  on  horseback,  with  their  wives  seated  behind  them 
on  pillions.  The  woman  made  sure  of  her  position  by  hold- 
ing tight  to  the  man  with  her  right  arm.  This  mode  of 
travel  is  supposed  to  have  been  popular  with  the  young 
folks,  when  they  rode  after  this  fashion. 

At  a  very  early  period,  the  road  to  the  Bay,  as  it  was 
called,  —  that  is,  to  Boston,  —  was  by  the  circuitous  route 
through  Chelmsford  and  Billerica,  where  there  was  a  bridge 
built  by  several  towns,  —  of  which  Groton  was  one,  —  and 
supported  jointly  by  them  for  many  years.  In  the  year 
1699  the  towns  of  Groton,  Chelmsford,  and  Billerica  were 
engaged  in  a  controversy  about  the  proportion  of  expense 

5 


34 

which  each  one  should  bear  in  building  the  bridge.  The 
General  Court  settled  the  dispute  by  ordering  this  town  to 
pay  twenty-four  pounds  and  ten  shillings  as  her  share  in 
full,  with  no  future  liabilities.  (Archives,  cxxi.  99.) 

The  lives  of  our  forefathers  were  one  ceaseless  struggle 
for  existence;  and  there  was  no  time  or  opportunity  to 
cultivate  those  graces  which  we  now  consider  so  essential. 
If  they  were  stern  and  austere,  they  were  at  the  same  time 
also  virtuous  and  conscientious.  Religion  with  them  was 
a  living,  ever-present  power;  and  in  that  channel  went  out 
all  those  energies  which  with  us  find  outlet  in  many  different 
directions.  These  considerations  should  modify  the  opin- 
ions commonly  held  in  regard  to  the  Puritan  fathers.  At 
that  period  women  were  content  with  domestic  duties,  and 
did  not  seek  to  take  part  in  public  affairs.  It  is  wonderful 
that  no  murmur  has  come  down  to  us  expressive  of  the 
tyranny  of  man  in  withholding  from  them  the  rights 
which  are  now  so  loudly  claimed. 

After  Philip's  War  the  Colonists  were  at  peace  with 
the  Indians,  but  it  was  a  suspicious  kind  of  peace.  It  re- 
quired watching  and  a  show  of  strength  to  keep  it:  there 
was  no  good-will  between  the  native  race  and  the  white 
intruders. 

Captain  Francis  Nicholson,  writing  from  Boston  to  Lon- 
don, under  date  of  August  31,  1688,  speaks  of  the  feeling 
here  at  that  time.  The  letter  is  printed  in  "  Documents 
relating  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of  New  York  " 
(iii.  551)  ;  and  the  writer  says:  — 

Att  night  [August  19]  I  came  to  Dunstable  (about  30  miles 
from  hence)  from  thence  I  sent  two  English  men  and  an  In- 
dian to  Penecooke  about  sixty  miles  up  the  river  Merymeck; 
the  men  told  me  they  should  be  3  dayes  in  doeing  of  it;  soe 
next  day  I  went  through  Groton  and  Lancaster,  where  the 
people  were  very  much  afraid  (being  out  towns)  butt  I  told 
them  as  I  did  other  places,  that  they  should  nott  be  soe  much 
cast  down,  for  that  they  had  the  happinesse  of  being  subjects 
of  a  victorious  King,  who  could  protect  them  from  all  their 
enemies. 


35 

The  military  company  of  the  town  was  still  kept  up,  and 
known  as  the  Foot  Company;  and,  during  a  part  of  the 
year  1689,  was  supported  by  some  cavalry,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Jacob  Moore.  James  Parker,  Sen.,  was 
appointed  the  Captain  of  it ;  Jonas  Prescott,  the  Lieutenant ; 
and  John  Lakin,  the  Ensign :  and  these  appointments  were 
all  confirmed  by  the  Governor  and  Council,  at  a  convention 
held  in  Boston,  July  17,  1689.  A  month  later  (August  10), 
Captain  Parker  was  ordered  to  supply  Hezekiah  Usher's 
garrison  at  Nonacoicus  with  "  three  men  of  the  men  sent 
up  thither  or  of  the  Town's  people,  for  ye  defence  of  y* 
Garrison  being  of  publique  concernmV  Groton  was  one 
of  the  four  towns  that  were  designated,  August  29,  as  the 
headquarters  of  the  forces  detached  for  the  public  service 
against  the  common  enemy;  Casco,  Newichewanick  (Ber- 
wick), and  Haverhill  being  the  others.  And  we  find,  soon 
after,  an  order  to  send  "  to  the  head  Quarter  at  Groton  for 
supply  of  the  Garrison  there  One  Thousand  weight  of  Bread, 
One  barrell  of  Salt,  one  barrell  of  powder  three  hundred 
weight  of  Shott,  and  three  hundred  fflints,  Six  quire  of 
Paper."  Eleven  troopers  were  sent  hither,  September  17, 
under  Cornet  John  Chubbuck,  to  relieve  Corporal  White, 
who  was  succeeded  by  John  Pratt.  The  commissary  of  the 
post  at  this  time  was  Jonathan  Remington,  who  seems  to 
have  had  but  little  duty  to  perform.  Shortly  afterward  the 
order  came  from  the  Governor  and  Council  to  discharge 
him,  as  well  as  Captain  Moore  and  his  company  of  cavalry, 
from  the  public  service.  (Archives,  Ixxxi.  24,  40,  60,  67, 
71,  73,  74,  81,  138.) 

In  the  year  1690  "Jn°  Paige  of  Groten  "  went  in  the  expe- 
dition against  Canada,  under  Major  Wade;  was  wounded 
in  the  left  arm,  and  did  not  recover  entirely  for  two  years. 
His  surgeon's  bill,  amounting  to  four  pounds,  was  paid 
out  of  the  public  treasury.  (Archives,  xxxvii.  62.) 

These  facts  show  that  the  early  settlers  at  this  time  were 
not  leading  an  easy  life.  The  orders  and  counter-orders  to 
even  the  small  garrison  show  too  well  that  danger  was 
threatening.  The  inhabitants  had  already  experienced  the 


36 

cruelty  of  savage  warfare,  and  knew  it  to  their  horror.  For 
some  years  they  had  been  on  the  constant  alert,  and  held  their 
lives  in  their  hands.  King  William's  War  was  now  begun. 
The  second  attack  on  the  town  came  in  the  summer  of  1694; 
and  the  accounts  of  it  I  prefer  to  give  in  the  words  of  contem- 
porary writers.  Sometimes  there  are  variations  in  such  ac- 
counts, but,  as  a  whole,  they  constitute  the  best  authority. 
Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  thus  refers  to  it :  — 

Nor  did  the  Storm  go  over  so :  Some  Drops  of  it  fell  upon 
the  Town  of  Groton,  a  Town  that  lay,  one  would  think,  far 
enough  off  the  Place  where  was  the  last  Scene  of  the  Tragedy. 
On  July  27.  [1694]  about  break  of  Day  Groton  felt  some  sur- 
prizing Blows  from  the  Indian  Hatchets.  They  began  their 
Attacks  at  the  House  of  one  Lieutenant  Lakin,  in  the  Out-skirts 
of  the  Town;  but  met  with  a  Repulse  there,  and  lost  one  of 
their  Crew.  Nevertheless,  in  other  Parts  of  that  Plantation, 
(when  the  good  People  had  been  so  tired  out  as  to  lay  down 
their  Military  Watch)  there  were  more  than  Twenty  Persons 
killed,  and  more  than  a  Dozen  carried  away.  Mr.  Gershom 
Hobart,  the  Minister  of  the  Place,  with  part  of  his  Family,  was 
Remarkably  preserved  from  falling  into  their  Hands,  when 
they  made  themselves  the  Masters  of  his  House ;  though  they 
Took  Two  of  his  Children,  whereof  the  one  was  Killed,  and  the 
other  some  time  after  happily  Rescued  out  of  his  Captivity. 
(Book  vii.  page  86.) 

Charlevoix,  a  French  missionary  in  Canada,  gives  from 
his  own  standpoint  another  version,  as  follows :  — 

The  Abenaqui  chief  was  Taxous,  already  celebrated  for 
many  exploits,  and  commendable  attachment  to  our  interests. 
This  brave  man,  not  satisfied  with  what  he  had  just  so  valiantly 
achieved,  chose  forty  of  his  most  active  men,  and  after  three 
days'  march,  by  making  a  long  circuit,  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a 
fort  [at  Groton]  near  Boston,  and  attacked  it  in  broad  day. 
The  English  made  a  better  defence  than  they  did  at  Pescadoue 
[Piscataqua].  Taxous  had  two  of  his  nephews  killed  by' his 
side,  and  himself  received  more  than  a  dozen  musket  balls  in 
his  clothes,  but  he  at  last  carried  the  place,  and  then  continued 
his  ravages  to  the  very  doors  of  the  capital.  (History  of  New 
France,  iv.  257,  Shea's  edition.) 


37 

The  loss  of  life  from  this  attack  was  considerably  greater 
than  when  the  town  was  destroyed  and  deserted  in  the  year 
1676.  There  were  twenty-two  persons  killed  and  thirteen 
captured.  The  settlement  was  now  more  scattered  than  it 
was  then,  and  its  defence  more  difficult.  For  this  reason 
more  persons  were  killed  and  taken  prisoners  than  when 
the  place  was  assaulted  eighteen  years  previously.  It  is 
said  that  the  scalps  of  the  unfortunate  victims  were  given 
to  Count  de  Frontenac,  Governor  of  Canada.  Among  those 
killed  were  William  Longley,  his  wife,  and  five  of  their 
children;  his  eldest  child,  Lydia,  a  daughter  of  twenty,  a 
son  named  John,  and  Betty,  a  little  girl  who  died  soon 
after  her  capture,  were  taken  prisoners.  These  three  of 
his  family  escaped  the  fury  of  the  savages  and  were  spared. 
Lydia's  name  is  found  in  a  list  of  prisoners  who  were  held 
in  Canada,  March  5,  1710-11.  Within  a  few  years  past, 
a  Genealogical  Dictionary  of  Canadian  families  has  been 
published,  from  which  additional  facts  are  gathered  con- 
cerning her.  This  work  ( "  Dictionnaire  Genealogique  des 
Families  Canadiennes,"  par  1'Abbe  Cyprien  Tanguay,  i.  9) 
gives  her  name  as  Lydia  Madeleine  Longley,  and  says  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  William  and  Deliverance  (Crisp) 
Longley,  of  Groton,  where  she  was  born,  on  April  12,  1674. 
In  another  place  (p.  396)  she  is  spoken  of  as  Sister  St. 
Madeleine.  She  was  captured  by  the  Abenaquis,  a  tribe 
of  Indians  who  inhabited  the  territory  now  included  in  the 
State  of  Maine.  She  was  baptized  into  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  on  April  24,  1696,  and  lived  at  the  Congregation 
of  Notre  Dame,  in  Montreal.  She  was  buried  on  July  20, 

1758. 

Her  middle  name,  Madeleine,  was  given  to  her  doubtless 
when  she  joined  the  Roman  church.  It  is  possible  that 
she  may  have  lived  for  a  time  among  the  Indians,  as  many 
of  the  prisoners  taken  at  the  same  assault  were  held  by 
them. 

John  Longley  was  twelve  years  old  when  he  was  cap- 
tured. He  was  carried  away,  and  remained  with  the  In- 
dians for  more  than  four  years,  —  a  part  of  the  time  being 


38 

spent  in  Canada,  and  the  remainder  in  Maine.  At  length 
he  was  ransomed,  but  he  had  become  so  accustomed  to 
savage  life  that  he  left  it  with  great  reluctance;  and  those 
who  brought  him  away  were  obliged  to  use  force  to  ac- 
complish their  purpose.  He  was  afterward  a  useful  in- 
habitant of  the  town,  holding  many  offices  of  trust  and 
responsibility. 

It  is  recorded  also  that  two  children  of  Alexander  Rouse, 
a  near  neighbor  of  Willliam  Longley,  were  killed  in  this 
assault  of  1694. 

Among  the  English  captives  at  Quebec,  redeemed  by 
Mathew  Gary,  in  October,  1695,  was  Thomas  Drew,  of 
Groton,  and  he  probably  was  taken  at  this  same  assault. 
(Archives,  xxxviii.  A  2.)  There  was  one  "  Tamasin  Rouce 
of  Grotten "  received,  January  17,  1698-9,  on  board  the 
"  Province  Gaily  "  at  Casco  Bay ;  and  she  probably  was 
one  of  Alexander  Rouse's  family.  She  had,  doubtless,  been 
a  prisoner  for  four  years  and  a  half,  —  the  same  length 
of  time  as  John  Longley's  captivity.  There  are  many  in- 
stances of  children  who  were  kept  for  a  long  time  by  their 
captors.  We  can  now  hardly  realize  the  bitter  anguish 
felt  by  the  parents  over  the  loss  of  their  little  darlings. 
Bring  the  case  home,  and  think  for  a  moment  what  your 
feelings  would  be,  if  that  curly-headed  boy  or  smiling  girl 
was  snatched  from  your  sight  at  a  moment's  notice,  and 
carried  off  by  the  wild  men  of  the  woods  for  an  uncertain 
fate.  The  kidnapping  of  one  little  boy*  in  a  distant  city 
in  our  times  has  caused  the  hearts  of  all  the  mothers  in 
the  land  to  thrill  with  horror  as  they  heard  of  the  atro- 
cious deed,  and  to  throb  in  sympathy  with  the  bereaved 
parents. 

In  the  year  1694  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  General 
Court,  which  prohibited  the  desertion  of  frontier  towns  by 

*  This  allusion  to  little  Charley  Ross  prompted  his  father,  Christian  K. 
Ross,  of  Philadelphia,  a  few  months  later  to  write  me  a  note,  under  date  of 
December  5,  1876,  in  which  he  says:  —  "While  my  family  and  self  are  kept 
in  terrible  suspense  with  regard  to  the  fate  of  our  dear  child  it  is  pleasant  to 
know  that  so  many  persons  truly  sympathize  with  us  in  this  great  affliction." 


39 

the  inhabitants,  unless  permission  was  first  granted  by  the 
Governor  and  Council.  There  were  eleven  such  towns,  and 
Groton  was  one  of  them.  The  law  required  the  inhabitants 
of  these  out-towns,  who  owned  land  or  houses,  to  take  out 
a  special  license,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  their  property,  before 
they  could  quit  their  homes  and  live  elsewhere.  It  was 
thought  that  the  interests  of  the  Crown  would  be  preju- 
diced, and  encouragement  given  to  the  enemy,  if  any  of 
these  posts  were  deserted,  or  were  exposed  by  lessening 
their  strength.  Many  towns  were  threatened  by  the  Indians 
about  this  time,  and  a  few  were  attacked.  It  is  recorded 
that  some  of  the  settlers  here  left  the  town,  and  there  was 
probably  a  movement  among  the  inhabitants  in  other  places, 
to  do  the  same.  This  fact,  undoubtedly,  caused  the  enact- 
ment of  the  law. 

Anything  relating  to  the  brave  men  who  suffered  in  the 
Indian  wars  is  now  of  interest  to  us,  and  I  offer  no  apology 
for  giving  incidents  that  to  some  persons  may  seem  trivial. 

Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  mentions  some  instances 
of  "  mortal  wounds  upon  the  English  not  proving  mortal," 
and  gives  the  case  of  an  inhabitant  of  this  town,  who  was 
in  a  garrison  at  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  when  that  place 
was  assaulted,  July  4,  1690.  He  says  that  — 

it  is  true,  that  one  Simon  Stone  being  here  Wounded  with 
Shot  in  Nine  several  places,  lay  for  Dead,  (as  it  was  time!) 
among  the  Dead.  The  Indians  coming  to  Strip  him,  attempted 
with  Two  several  Blows  of  an  Hatchet  at  his  Neck  to  cut  off 
his  Head,  which  Blows  added,  you  may  be  sure,  more  Enor- 
mous Wounds  unto  those  Port-holes  of  Death,  at  which  the 
Life  of  the  Poor  Man  was  already  running  out  as  fast  as  it 
could.  Being  charged  hard  by  Lieutenant  Bancroft,  they  left 
the  Man  without  Scalping  him;  and  the  English  now  coming 
to  Bury  the  Dead,  one  of  the  Soldiers  perceived  this  poor  Man 
to  fetch  a  Gasp ;  whereupon  an  Irish  Fellow  then  present,  ad- 
vised 'em  to  give  him  another  Dab  with  an  Hatchet,  and  so 
Bury  him  with  the  rest.  The  English  detesting  this  Barbarous 
Advice,  lifted  up  the  Wounded  Man,  and  poured  a  little  Fair 
Water  into  his  Mouth  at  which  he  Coughed ;  then  they  poured 
a  little  Strong  Water  after  it,  at  which  he  opened  his  Eyes. 


40 

The  Irish  Fellow  was  ordered  now  to  hale  a  Canoo  ashore  to 
carry  the  Wounded  Men  up  the  River  unto  a  Chirurgeon ;  and 
as  Teague  was  foolishly  pulling  the  Canoo  ashore  with  the 
Cock  of  his  Gun,  while  he  held  the  Muzzle  in  his  Hand,  his 
Gun  went  off  and  broke  his  Arm,  whereof  he  remains  a  Cripple 
to  this  Day:  But  Simon  Stone  was  thoroughly  Cured,  and  is 
at  this  Day  a  very  Lusty  Man ;  and  as  he  was  Born  with  Two 
Thumbs  on  one  Hand,  his  Neighbours  have  thought  him  to  have 
at  least  as  many  Hearts  as  Thumbs!  (Book  vii.  page  74.) 

Many  families  trace  back  their  line  of  descent  to  this  same 
Simon  Stone,  who  was  so  hard  to  kill,  and  to  whom,  for- 
tunately, the  finishing  "  Dab  with  an  Hatchet "  was  not 
given. 

Josiah  Parker,  of  Cambridge,  petitions  the  Governor  and 
General  Court,  May  31,  1699,  setting  forth  the  fact  that 
his  brother,  James  Parker,  Jr.,  and  wife  were  both  killed, 
and  several  of  their  children  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians, 
in  the  assault  on  Groton,  in  1694.  One  of  these  children, 
Phinehas  by  name,  was  redeemed  after  four  years  of  cap- 
tivity at  the  eastward,  by  the  master  of  a  vessel,  who  paid 
six  pounds  for  him.  The  uncle  of  the  boy  represents  in  the 
petition  that  he  himself  had  reimbursed  the  master,  and 
now  wished  that  this  sum  be  allowed  him  from  the  public 
treasury,  which  request  was  duly  granted.  This  poor  little 
orphan  boy  was  only  seven  years  old  when  carried  off  by 
the  savages,  and  the  petition  relates  that  he  was  lame  in 
one  of  his  legs,  as  a  result  of  the  cruelty  by  his  captors. 
(Archives,  Ixx.  401.) 

It  was  probably  during  the  attack  of  1694  that  Enosh 
Lawrence  was  wounded.  He  represented,  in  a  petition  to 
the  Governor  and  Council,  that  he  was  a  very  poor  man 
by  reason  of  wounds  in  his  hands  received  during  a  fight 
with  the  Indians  in  the  former  war,  which  almost  wholly 
disabled  him  from  earning  a  livelihood  for  himself  and 
family.  In  consequence  of  these  representations  the  House 
of  Representatives  allowed  him,  October  17,  1702,  exemp- 
tion from  taxes,  and  an  annual  pension  of  three  pounds 
during  life.  (Archives,  Ixx.  583.) 


41 

On  January  21,  1695,  Governor  William  Stoughton  issued 
a  proclamation,  in  which  he  refers  to  the  "  tragical  outrages 
and  barbarous  murders  "  at  Oyster  River  (now  Durham, 
New  Hampshire)  and  Groton.  He  says  that  several  of 
the  prisoners  taken  at  these  places  "  are  now  detained  by 
the  said  Indians  at  Amarascoggin  [Androscoggin]  and 
other  adjoining  places."  (Documents  relating  to  the  Colo- 
nial History  of  New  York,  ix.  613,  614.) 

Cotton  Mather  says  that  one  man  was  killed  here  in  1697, 
and  that  another,  with  two  children,  was  carried  into  captiv- 
ity. The  prisoner  was  Stephen  Holden,  who  was  captured, 
with  his  two  eldest  boys,  John,  and  Stephen,  Jr.  John  was 
released  in  January,  1699,  at  which  time  the  father  and  the 
other  boy  were  yet  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  savages. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  they  too  were  freed ;  for, 
in  the  following  June,  the  House  of  Representatives  voted 
three  pounds  and  twelve  shillings  for  the  expenses  incurred 
in  bringing  them  back.  (Archives,  Ixx.  393-400.) 

After  these  attacks  there  was  a  short  respite  of  hostili- 
ties, which  continued  till  1704,  when  the  frontier  towns 
were  again  exposed  to  savage  warfare;  and  this  town  suf- 
fered with  the  others. 

Samuel  Penhallow,  in  "  The  History  of  the  Wars  of 
New-England,"  published  in  1726,  thus  refers  to  the  attack 
on  this  place,  in  August,  1704:  — 

[The  Indians]  afterwards  fell  on  Lancaster,  and  Groaton, 
where  they  did  some  Spoil,  but  not  what  they  expected,  for  that 
these  Towns  were  seasonably  strengthened.  .  .  . 

And  yet  a  little  while  after  they  fell  on  Groaton,  and  Nasha- 
•way  [Lancaster],  where  they  kill'd  Lieut.  Wyler  [Wilder],  and 
several  more  (pp.  24,  25). 

A  party  of  Indians,  about  thirty  in  number,  made  their 
appearance  in  town,  and  killed  a  man  on  the  night  of  Oc- 
tober 25,  1704.  Pursuit  was  at  once  made  for  them,  but 
it  was  unsuccessful. 

"The  Boston  News-Letter,"  No.  28,  October  30,  1704, 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  affair:  — 

6 


42 

On  Wednesday  night  an  English  man  was  kill'd  in  the  Woods 
at  Groton  by  the  Indians  which  were  afterwards  descryed  in 
the  night  by  the  Light  of  their  Fires,  by  a  Person  Travailing 
from  Groton  to  Lancaster,  and  judged  they  might  be  about 
Thirty  in  number;  pursuit  was  made  after  them,  but  none 
could  be  found. 

It  is  known  that  the  man  killed  was  John  Davis,  and 
that  he  lived  where  W.  Dickson's  house  stood  when  the 
map  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made;  and  Davis's  Ford- 
way  in  the  river  near  by,  named  after  him,  is  still  remem- 
bered by  a  few  elderly  people  of  that  neighborhood. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  inhabitants,  upon  the  re- 
newal of  hostilities,  were  obliged  to  ask  for  help  from  the 
General  Court.  They  had  already  suffered  much  in  loss 
of  life  and  property,  and  were  little  able  to  bear  new  bur- 
dens. They  represented  to  the  Governor  that  they  had 
been  greatly  impoverished  by  the  destruction  of  their  cattle, 
and  of  corn  and  hay,  and  that  they  were  scarcely  able  to 
hold  out  much  longer;  but  the  crowning  calamity  of  all 
was  the  illness  of  the  minister,  Mr.  Hobart,  which  prevented 
him  from  preaching.  Their  means  were  so  limited  that 
they  could  not  support  him  and  supply  his  place  besides. 
They  were  obliged  to  earn  their  living  at  the  peril  of  their 
lives;  and  some  were  thinking  of  leaving  the  town.  They 
spent  so  much  time  in  watching  and  guarding,  that  they 
seemed  to  be  soldiers  rather  than  farmers.  Under  these 
discouraging  circumstances  they  asked  for  help,  and  were 
allowed  out  of  the  public  treasury  twenty  pounds,  to  assist 
them  in  procuring  another  minister,  besides  ten  pounds  to 
be  divided  among  those  who  were  the  greatest  sufferers  in 
the  late  attack  upon  them.  (Archives,  cxiii.  391,  and  Ixxi. 
107,  1 08.) 

Two  years  later,  another  assault  was  made  on  the  town, 
though  with  but  little  damage.  I  again  quote  from 
Penhallow :  — 

[July  21,  1706.]  Several  Strokes  were  afterwards  made 
on  Chelmsford,  Sudbury  and  Groton,  where  three  Soldiers  as 


43 

they  were  going  to  publick  Worship,  were  way-laid  by  a 
small  Party,  who  kill'd  two,  and  made  the  other  a  Prisoner 
(P-  36). 

A  few  additional  particulars  of  these  "  strokes "  are 
found  in  the  Reverend  John  Pike's  Journal,  as  printed  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
for  September,  1875,  page  143,  under  this  entry:  — 

July  21,  1706.  Sab:  2  souldiers  slain,  &  one  carried  away 
by  the  enemy  at  Groton.  They  were  all  new-Cambridge  [New- 
ton] men,  &  were  returned  to  their  Post  from  one  Bloods  house, 
who  had  invited  ym  to  Dinner. 

The  Reverend  Jonathan  Homer,  in  his  History  of  New- 
ton, as  published  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections 
(v.  273),  gives  the  names  of  these  men  as  John  Myrick, 
Nathaniel  Healy,  and  Ebenezer  Seger,  and  says  they  were 
all  three  killed  by  the  Indians.  This  statement,  however, 
is  inaccurate,  as  John  Myrick  was  not  one  of  the  three 
soldiers,  and  furthermore  he  was  alive  after  this  date. 
From  contemporary  petitions  on  file  among  the  State  Ar- 
chives (Ixxi.  345,  419),  it  is  clear  that  two  of  these  men 
were  brothers  by  the  name  of  Seager,  and  the  third  man 
was  Nathaniel  Healy.  It  was  Ebenezer  Seager,  who  was 
killed,  and  Henry,  Jr.,  taken  prisoner. 

Penhallow  gives  several  instances  of  extreme  cruelty  to 
the  prisoners  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  and  mentions  the 
following  case  of  a  man  who  was  captured  in  this  town :  — 

A  third  was  of  Samuel  Butterfield,  who  being  sent  to  Groton 
as  a  Soldier,  was  with  others  attackt,  as  they  were  gathering 
in  the  Harvest;  his  bravery  was  such,  that  he  kill'd  one  and 
wounded  another,  but  being  overpower'd  by  strength,  was 
forc'd  to  submit;  and  it  hapned  that  the  slain  Indian  was  a 
Sagamore,  and  of  great  dexterity  in  War,  which  caused  matter 
of  Lamentation,  and  enrag'd  them  to  such  degree  that  they 
vow'd  the  utmost  revenge ;  Some  were  for  whipping  him  to 
Death ;  others  for  burning  him  alive ;  but  differing  in  their 
Sentiments,  they  submitted  the  Issue  to  the  Squaw  Widow, 
concluding  she  would  determine  something  very  dreadful,  but 


44 

when  the  matter  was  opened,  and  the  Fact  considered,  her 
Spirits  were  so  moderate  as  to  make  no  other  reply,  than,  For- 
tune L'gnare.  Upon  which  some  were  uneasy ;  to  whom  she 
answered,  //  by  kiting  him,  you  can  bring  my  Husband  to  life 
again,  I  beg  you  to  study  what  Death  you  please;  but  if  not 
let  him  be  my  Servant;  which  he  accordingly  was,  during  his 
Captivity,  and  had  favour  shewn  him  (pp.  38,  39). 

Butterfield  remained  a  captive  for  more  than  a  year. 
It  is  not  known  how  he  obtained  his  release.  We  find  his 
petition  to  the  General  Court,  dated  April  10,  1706,  which 
sets  forth  the  fact  that  he  was  an  inhabitant  of  Chelmsford, 
and  was  sent  by  Captain  Jerathmel  Bowers  to  Groton,  to 
help  Colonel  Taylor,  in  August,  1704,  when  the  enemy 
came  upon  the  place.  He  was  ordered,  with  some  others, 
to  guard  a  man  at  work  in  the  field,  when  the  Indians  at- 
tacked them,  killed  one,  and  captured  another  besides  him- 
self. Butterfield  represents,  in  the  petition,  that  he  "  made 
all  the  resistance  possible,  killed  one,  and  knockt  down  two 
more  after  they  had  seized  him,  for  which  yo?  Petitioner 
was  cruelly  used  by  them  afterwards  &  threatened  to  be 
burnt,  several  times."  He  says  that  he  "  was  very  well 
accoutred  in  all  respects  when  he  was  taken,  and  then  was 
stript  of  all  and  was  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  months 
a  Captive  expos'd  to  great  hardships,  and  has  sustained 
great  Loss  and  damage."  In  consideration  of  his  loss  and 
service,  he  was  allowed  the  sum  of  ten  pounds  out  of  the 
public  treasury.  (Archives,  Ixxi.  195.) 

A  man  was  killed  here,  June  n,  1707.  His  name  was 
Brown,  and  he  is  spoken  of  in  Pike's  Journal  as  Mr.  Brad- 
street's  man.  At  this  time  the  Reverend  Dudley  Bradstreet 
was  the  minister  of  the  town. 

In  a  list  of  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  French  and  In- 
dians at  Canada,  March  5,  1710-11,  we  find  the  names  of 
"  Zech?  Tarbal  John  Tarbal  Sarah  Tarbal  Matt.  Farnworth 
[and]  Lydia  Longley,"  all  of  Groton,  though  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  record  to  show  when  they  were  captured.  (Ar- 
chives, Ixxi.  765.)  In  the  spring  of  1739,  the  capture  of 
the  Tarbell  boys  is  spoken  of  as  occurring  "  above  thirty 


45 

Years  ago,"  and  it  is  said  that  Zechariah  was  so  young  at 
the  time  that  he  lost  his  native  language.  The  town  records 
show  that  he  was  born  January  25,  1700,  and  John,  July  6, 
1695.  Sarah  Tarbell  was  a  sister  of  the  boys,  and  was 
taken  at  the  same  time  with  them.  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  out  what  became  of  her,  as  all  tradition  on  this  point 
is  lost.  The  history  of  the  two  brothers  is  a  very  singular 
one,  and  sounds  more  like  fiction  than  truth.  They  were 
sons  of  Thomas  Tarbell,  who  had  a  large  family  of  children 
and  lived  on  what  is  now  known  as  Farmers'  Row,  a  short 
distance  south  of  the  Lawrence  farm.  He  was  probably 
the  "  Corp0  Tarboll,"  who  commanded,  in  the  autumn  of 
1711,  one  of  the  eighteen  garrisons  in  the  town.  The  two 
boys  were  picking  cherries  early  one  evening,  —  so  tradition 
relates,  —  and  were  taken  by  the  Indians  on  June  20,  1 707, 
before  they  had  time  to  get  down  from  the  tree.  It  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  date  of  capture,  according  to  the 
new  style  of  reckoning,  was  July  I,  when  cherries  would 
be  ripe  enough  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  climbing  youngsters. 
They  were  carried  to  Canada,  where,  it  would  seem,  they 
were  treated  kindly.  Matthias  Farnsworth  was  taken  in 
August,  1704,  and  Lydia  Longley,  in  July,  1694;  and  dur- 
ing their  captivity  they  both  joined  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  and  never  returned  to  their  native  land. 

In  the  year  1713  John  Stoddard  and  John  Williams  were 
appointed  by  Governor  Joseph  Dudley,  to  go  to  Quebec  and 
treat  with  the  Governor-General  of  Canada  for  the  release 
of  the  New  England  prisoners.  They  were  accompanied  by 
Thomas  Tarbell,  —  an  elder  brother  of  the  boys,  —  as  we 
find  his  petition  presented  to  the  House  of  Representatives, 
June  i,  1715,  "praying  consideration  and  allowance  for 
his  Time  and  Expences  in  going  to  Canada,  with  Major 
Stoddard  &  Mr.  Williams,  Anno  1713.  to  recover  the 
Captives." 

The  petition  was  referred,  and,  on  the  next  day,  — 

Capt.  Noyes  from  the  Committee  for  Petitions,  made  Re- 
port on  the  Petition  of  Thomas  Tarboll,  viz.  That  they  are  of 
Opinion  that  nothing  is  due  from  the  Province  to  the  said  Tar- 


46 

boll,  since  he  proceeded  as  a  Volunteer  in  that  Service  to  Can- 
ada, &  not  imployed  by  the  Government,  but  recommended  him 
to  the  favour  of  the  House. 

The  report  was  accepted,  and,  in  consideration  of  Tar- 
bell's  services,  he  was  allowed  ten  pounds  out  of  the  public 
treasury.  Captain  Stoddard's  "  Journal  "  of  the  negotia- 
tions is  printed  in  "  The  New  England  Historical  and 
Genealogical  Register,"  for  January,  1851  (v.  26),  and 
Tarbell's  name  is  mentioned  in  it. 

We  find  no  further  trace  of  these  boys,  now  grown  up 
to  manhood,  for  nearly  twenty-five  years,  when  Governor 
Belcher  brought  their  case,  April  20,  1739,  before  the  Coun- 
cil and  the  House  of  Representatives.  He  then  made  a 
speech  in  which  he  said  that  — 

There  are  lately  come  from  Canada  some  Persons  that  were 
taken  by  the  Indians  from  Groton  above  thirty  Years  ago,  ivho 
(its  believed)  may  be  induced  to  return  into  this  Province,  on 
your  giving  them  some  proper  Encouragement:  If  this  Matter 
might  be  effected,  I  should  think  it  would  be  not  only  an  Act  of 
Compassion  in  order  to  reclaim  them  from  their  Savage  Life, 
and  to  recover  them  from  the  Errors  and  Delusions  of  the  Rom- 
ish Faith;  but  their  living  among  us  might,  in  Time  to  come, 
be  of  great  Advantage  to  the  Province. 

The  subject  was  referred  the  same  day  to  a  Committee 
consisting  of  John  Read,  of  Boston,  William  Fairfield,  of 
Wenham,  Thomas  Wells,  of  Deerfield,  Benjamin  Browne, 
of  Salem,  and  Job  Almy,  of  Tiverton.  On  the  next  day, 
April  21,  —  as  we  read  in  the  printed  Journal  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  —  the  chairman  of  — 

the  Committee  appointed  to  consider  that  Paragraph  in  His 
Excellency's  SPEECH  relating  to  the  Encouragement  of  two 
English  Captives  from  Canada,  viz.  John  Tharbell  and  Zecha- 
riah  Tharbell,  made  report  thereon,  which  he  read  in  his  Place, 
and  then  delivered  it  at  the  Table;  and  after  some  debate 
thereon,  the  House  did  not  accept  the  Report ;  and  having  con- 
sidered the  same  Article  by  Article,  the  House  came  into  a  Vote 
thereon,  and  sent  the  same  up  to  the  honourable  Board  for 
Concurrence. 


47 


On  the  23d  we  find  — 


A  Petition  of  Thomas  Tharbell  of  Groton,  Elder  Brother  of 
the  two  Mr.  Tharbells  lately  returned  from  Captivity  in  Canada, 
praying  he  may  be  allowed  the  Loan  of  some  Money  to  enable 
him  to  pay  William  Rogers,  jun.  his  Account  of  Charges  in 
bringing  his  Brethren  to  Boston.  Read  and  Ordered,  That  the 
Petition  be  considered  to  morrow  morning. 

On  the  next  day  — 

THE  House  pass'd  a  Vote  on  the  Petition  of  Thomas  Thar- 
bell of  Groton,  praying  as  entred  the  23d  current,  and 
sent  the  same  up  to  the  honourable  Board  for  Concurrence. 

All  these  efforts,  however,  to  reclaim  the  two  men  from 
savage  life  proved  unavailing;  for  it  is  known  that  they 
remained  with  the  Indians  and  became  naturalized,  if  I  may 
use  the  expression.  They  married  Indian  wives,  and  were 
afterward  made  chiefs  at  Caughnawaga  and  St.  Regis,  vil- 
lages in  Canada.  Their  descendants  are  still  living  among 
the  Indians,  and  the  Tarbells  of  the  present  day,  in  this 
town,  are  their  collateral  kindred.  Nearly  forty  years  after 
their  capture,  Governor  Hutchinson  met  them  in  New  York 
State,  and  refers  to  them  thus :  — 

I  saw  at  Albany  two  or  three  men,  in  the  year  1744,  who 
came  in  with  the  Indians  to  trade,  and  who  had  been  taken  at 
Groton  in  this,  that  is  called  Queen  Ann's  war.  One  of  them 

Tarbell,  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  Cag- 

nawaga  tribe.  He  made  a  visit  in  his  Indian  dress  and  with  his 
Indian  complexion  (for  by  means  of  grease  and  paints  but 
little  difference  could  be  discerned)  to  his  relations  at  Groton, 
but  had  no  inclination  to  remain  there.  (Hutchinson's  His- 
tory of  Massachusetts,  ii.  139.) 

This  is  another  account :  — 

It  is  related  that,  about  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  while  a 
couple  of  boys  and  a  girl  were  playing  in  a  barn  at  Groton,  Mas- 
sachusetts, some  Indians  suddenly  appeared,  seized  the  boys 
and  fled,  carrying  them  to  the  village  of  Caughnawaga,  nine 
miles  above  Montreal.  They  grew  up  with  Indian  habits,  man- 


48 

ners,  and  language,  being  finally  adopted  as  members  of  the 
tribe;  and  married  Indian  brides  selected  from  the  daughters 
of  the  principal  chiefs.  ("The  Galaxy,"  for  January,  1870, 
p.  124.) 

I  have  been  told  that  the  name  "  Caughnawaga  "  is  a  cor- 
ruption of  Kaknawaka,  which  in  the  Indian  tongue  means 
"  The  Rapids." 

The  people  must  have  lived  in  constant  dread  of  the  In- 
dians during  the  period  of  Queen  Anne's  War.  Sometimes 
an  outlying  farmhouse  was  attacked  and  burned,  some  of 
the  inmates  killed  and  others  carried  away  in  captivity; 
sometimes  the  farmer  was  shot  down  while  at  labor  in  the 
field,  or  while  going  or  coming.  This  was  the  fate  of  John 
Shattuck  and  his  eldest  son,  John,  a  young  man  eighteen 
years  of  age,  who  were  killed  on  May  8,  1709. 

At  another  time,  the  date  of  which  is  not  recorded,  but 
probably  in  the  attack  of  July,  1694,  the  house  of  John 
Shepley  was  burned,  and  himself  and  all  his  family  were 
massacred,  except  his  young  son,  John.  There  may  have 
been  some  special  spite  against  him,  because  some  years 
before  he  had  killed  an  Indian;  for  which  act  he  received 
from  the  General  Court  a  bounty  of  four  pounds.  (Archives, 
xxx.  496,  497.)  This  boy  John  the  savages  carried  away 
with  them  and  held  as  captive  during  several  years.  But 
as  is  often  said,  where  there  is  great  loss,  there  is  some 
little  gain.  The  knowledge  which  he  obtained  of  their  lan- 
guage and  customs  while  a  prisoner  was  of  much  use  to  him 
in  dealing  with  them  in  after-life.  Tradition  relates  that, 
when  buying  furs  and  skins  of  the  Indians,  he  used  to  put 
his  foot  in  one  scale  of  the  balance  instead  of  a  pound 
weight.  He  is  the  direct  ancestor  of  the  Honorable  Ether 
Shepley,  formerly  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State  of  Maine,  and  of  General  George  F.  Shepley,  now 
a  Justice  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  First  Circuit  of  the 
United  States. 

Near  the  end  of  Queen  Anne's  War,  we  find  a  list  of 
eighteen  garrisons  in  this  town  containing,  in  all,  fifty-eight 
families,  or  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight  souls.  Of 


49 

these,  seventeen  were  soldiers  in  the  public  service.  (Ar- 
chives, Ixxi.  874.) 

The  military  company  posted  here  in  the  summer  of 
1724  was  made  up  of  soldiers  from  different  towns  in 
this  part  of  the  Province,  and  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Jabez  Fairbanks.  Some  of  them  were  detailed  as  guards 
to  protect  the  more  exposed  garrisons,  and  others  were 
scouting  in  the  neighborhood.  They  were  so  scattered  that 
the  commanding  officer  found  it  difficult  to  drill  them  as 
a  company.  Fortunately,  however,  they  were  not  engaged 
in  much  righting,  though  the  enemy  had  been  lurking  in 
the  vicinity,  and  threatening  the  town.  Thirteen  of  Lieu- 
tenant Fairbanks' s  company  belonged  here,  and  represented 
some  of  the  most  influential  families  in  the  place. 

Penhallow,  in  speaking  of  the  Indians  at  this  period,  says 
that,  — 

The  next  damage  they  did,  was  at  Groton,  but  were  so 
closely  pursued,  that  they  left  several  of  their  Packs  behind 
(p.  102). 

In  this  paragraph  he  alludes  to  the  killing  of  John  Ames, 
on  July  9,  1724,  who  was  shot  by  an  Indian,  one  of  a  small 
party  that  attacked  Ames's  garrison,  near  the  Nashua  River, 
in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town  which  comes  now  in 
Pepperell.  It  is  said  that  he  was  the  last  person  killed  by 
an  Indian  within  the  township.  The  Indian  himself  was 
immediately  afterward  shot  by  Jacob  Ames,  one  of  John's 
sons.  (Archives,  Hi.  23.) 

Governor  Saltonstall,  of  Connecticut,  writes  from  New 
London,  under  date  of  July  23,  1724,  that  the  friendly  In- 
dians of  that  neighborhood  seem  inclined  to  hunt  for  scalps 
about  Monadnock  and  the  further  side  of  Dunstable  and 
Groton.  This  was  owing  to  an  offer  made  about  this  time 
by  the  Provincial  authorities  of  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire,  of  a  bounty  of  a  hundred  pounds  for  every 
Indian's  scalp  taken  and  shown  to  the  proper  officers.  This 
premium  stimulated  volunteers  to  scour  the  wilderness  for 
the  purpose  of  hunting  Indians,  and  Captain  John  Love- 

7 


well,  of  Dunstable,*  organized  a  company,  which  soon  be- 
came famous. 

The  story  of  Lovewell's  fight  was  for  a  long  time  told  in 
every  household  in  this  neighborhood,  and  there  is  scarcely 
a  person  who  has  not  heard  from  early  infancy  the  particu- 
lars of  that  eventful  conflict.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  the 
year  1725  that  Captain  Lovewell,  with  thirty-four  men, 
fought  a  famous  Indian  chief,  named  Paugus,  at  the  head 
of  about  eighty  savages,  near  the  shores  of  a  pond  in 
Pequawket,  now  within  the  limits  of  Fryeburg,  Maine. 
Of  this  little  Spartan  band,  seven  belonged  in  Groton;  and 
one  of  them,  John  Chamberlain  by  name,  distinguished 
himself  by  killing  the  Indian  leader.  It  is  fit  that  a  bare 
reference  to  this  fight  should  be  made  on  this  occasion, 
though  time  does  not  allow  me  to  dwell  upon  it. 

The  town,  now  no  longer  on  the  frontiers,  was  again 
threatened  with  danger  near  the  end  of  King  George's  war. 
A  company  of  thirty-two  men,  under  the  command  of  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Tarbell,  scouted  in  this  vicinity  for  six  days  in 
July,  1748,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  have  discovered  the 
enemy.  A  few  days  afterward,  another  company  of  thirty- 
six  men  was  sent  on  a  similar  expedition,  but  with  no  better 
success.  In  the  rolls  of  these  two  companies  we  find  many 
names  that  have  been  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  town 
from  its  very  beginning.  Among  them  are  the  Prescotts, 
the  Ameses,  the  Bancrofts,  the  Shepleys,  the  Parkers,  a  son 
of  Parson  Bradstreet,  and  a  grandson  of  Parson  Hobart. 

The  military  service  of  Groton  men  was  not  confined  to 
this  neighborhood.  Daniel  Farmer,  a  Groton  soldier,  was 
taken  prisoner  in  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians,  near  Fort 
Dummer,  on  July  14,  1748.  He  was  carried  to  Canada 
and  kept  till  the  following  October,  when  he  was  allowed 
to  return  home. 

*  The  Dunstable  of  early  times  is  not  identical  with  the  present  town  of 
that  name  in  this  State,  though  situated  in  the  same  neighborhood.  Old 
Dunstable  was  a  very  large  township,  containing  128,000  acres  of  land  lying 
on  both  sides  of  the  Merrimack.  By  the  running  of  the  new  Provincial  line, 
A.  D.  1741,  it  was  so  cut  in  two  that  by  far  the  larger  part  of  her  territory  came 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  New  Hampshire.  For  fuller  details,  see  pp.  129, 130. 


Fort  Dummer  was  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  in  the  present  town  of  Brattleborough, 
Vermont.  Two  of  its  early  commanders  had  been  con- 
nected with  Groton  by  the  ties  of  kindred.  Colonel  Josiah 
Willard,  in  command  of  the  fort  for  many  years,  was  a 
grandson  of  Parson  Willard ;  and  he  was  succeeded  in  com- 
mand by  Lieutenant  Dudley  Bradstreet,  a  son  of  Parson 
Bradstreet,  and  a  native  of  this  place. 

Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  born  in  Groton,  was  captured  on 
August  30,  1754,  by  the  St.  Francis  Indians,  at  Charles- 
town,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  taken  to  Montreal  and 
held  a  prisoner  during  three  years.  His  ransom  was  paid 
in  the  summer  of  1755,  but  he  was  not  then  set  at  liberty. 
Mrs.  Johnson  and  her  sister,  Miriam  Willard,  were  taken 
at  the  same  time.  They  were  both  daughters  of  Moses 
Willard,  who  had  formerly  lived  in  the  south  part  of  this 
town. 

During  the  French  and  Indian  War,  the  territory  of 
Acadia,  or  Nova  Scotia,  fell  under  British  authority;  and 
the  conquest  was  followed  by  a  terrible  act  of  cruelty  and 
violence.  The  simple  Acadians,  unsuspicious  of  the  de- 
signs of  the  English  leaders,  were  assembled  in  their 
churches,  in  obedience  to  military  proclamation,  and  thence, 
without  being  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes,  were  driven 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  on  board  ships,  to  be  scattered 
over  all  the  English  colonies  in  America.  This  was  done 
with  so  little  regard  to  humanity  that,  in  many  instances, 
wives  were  separated  from  husbands,  and  children  from 
parents,  never  to  see  one  another  again.  Many  an  Evange- 
line  waited  in  vain  expectation  of  being  reunited  to  her 
Gabriel,  thus  torn  away  from  her.  Two  of  these  French 
families,  ten  persons  in  all,  were  sent  to  Groton,  where  one 
of  the  mothers  died,  not  many  months  after  her  arrival, 
perhaps  from  the  rude  transplanting.  A  few  years  later 
a  French  family  —  perhaps  one  of  these  two  —  is  men- 
tioned as  living  here ;  but  the  household  had  become  divided, 
some  of  the  little  children  being  sent  to  the  neighboring 
towns.  Our  pity  for  these  unfortunate  people  will  be 


stronger  when  we  reflect  that  they  were  miserably  poor, 
among  a  race  who  spoke  a  strange  language,  followed  other 
customs,  and  abominated  their  religion.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances their  homesickness  must  indeed  have  been  bitter ; 
but  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  they  were  treated  with 
tender  care  by  the  people  here.  We  are  glad  to  learn  from 
the  records  that  they  were  furnished  with  medical  attend- 
ance, and  articles  necessary  for  their  bodily  comfort. 

Another  struggle  was  now  impending,  harder  than  any 
the  Colonists  had  been  engaged  in.     Almost  immediately 


Stamp  and  Counter-stamp 
1765. 


after  the  French  and  Indian  War,  the  odious  Stamp  Act 
was  passed,  which  did  much  to  hasten  public  opinion  toward 
the  Revolution. 

I  hold  in  my  hand  a  stamp  issued  under  the  authority  of 
this  Act.  On  a  public  occasion,  many  years  ago,  Mr. 
Everett  said,  in  speaking  of  a  similar  one,  that  "  this  bit 
of  dingy  blue  paper,  stamped  with  the  two-and-sixpence 
sterling,  created  the  United  States  of  America,  ahd  cost 
Great  Britain  the  brightest  jewel  in  her  crown." 

The  Stamp  Act  was  followed  by  the  Boston  Massacre, 
the  Boston  Tea  Party,  and  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  —  all  too 
familiar  to  be  particularized.  These  acts  excited  through- 
out the  land  a  deep  feeling  for  the  capital  of  New  England. 
The  eyes  of  all  the  colonies  were  now  turned  toward  Bos- 
ton, and  she  received  the  hearty  sympathy  of  the  whole 
country.  The  sentiments  of  the  people  of  this  town  are 


53 

shown  in  the  following  letter  from  the  Town  Clerk,  which 
is  printed  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections  (  fourth 
series,  iv.  7,  8)  :  — 

GROTON,  June  28th,  1774. 

GENTLEMEN,  —  The  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Groton,  in 
general,  are  deeply  affected  with  a  sense  of  our  public  calami- 
ties, and  more  especially  the  distresses  of  our  brethren  in  the 
Capital  of  the  Province,  as  we  esteem  the  act  of  blocking  up  the 
harbor  of  Boston  replete  with  injustice  and  cruelty,  and  evi- 
dently designed  to  compel  the  inhabitants  thereof  to  submis- 
sion of  taxes  imposed  upon  them  without  their  consent,  and 
threatens  the  total  destruction  of  the  liberties  of  all  British 
America.  We  ardently  desire  a  happy  union  with  Great  Britain 
and  the  Colonies,  and  shall  gladly  adopt  every  measure  con- 
sistent with  the  dignity  and  safety  of  British  subjects  for  that 
purpose. 

In  full  confidence  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Boston 
will,  in  general,  exhibit  examples  of  patience,  fortitude  and 
perseverance,  while  they  are  called  to  endure  this  oppression 
for  the  preservation  of  the  liberties  of  their  country,  and  in 
token  of  our  willingness  to  afford  all  suitable  relief  to  them  in 
our  power,  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  Town  have  sub- 
scribed, and  this  day  sent  forty  bushels  of  grain,  part  rye  and 
part  Indian  corn,  to  be  delivered  to  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor 
of  said  Town  of  Boston,  not  doubting  but  the  same  will  be 
suitably  applied  for  that  purpose;  and  we  earnestly  desire  you 
will  use  your  utmost  endeavor  to  prevent  and  avoid  all  mobs, 
riots,  and  tumults,  and  the  insulting  of  private  persons  and 
property.  And  while  the  farmers  are  cheerfully  resigning  part 
of  their  substance  for  your  relief,  we  trust  the  merchants  will 
not  oppress  them  by  raising  upon  the  goods  which  they  have 
now  on  hand  and  heretofore  purchased.  And  may  God  prosper 
every  undertaking  which  tends  to  the  salvation  of  the  people. 

We  are,  gentlemen,  your  friends  and  fellow-countrymen.  In 
the  name  and  by  order  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  for 
the  Town  of  Groton. 

OLIVER  PRESCOTT,  Clerk. 
To  THE  OVERSEERS  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  BOSTON. 

The  reply,  printed  in  the  same  volume  of  Collections,  is 
as  follows :  — 


54 

BOSTON,  July  5th,  1774. 

SIR,  —  Your  obliging  letter  directed  to  the  Overseers  of  the 
Poor  of  this  Town,  together  with  a  generous  present  from  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Groton,  for  the  relief 
of  such  inhabitants  of  this  Town  as  may  be  sufferers  by  the 
Port  Bill,  is  come  to  hand.  In  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  this 
Town,  appointed  for  the  reception  of  such  kind  donations,  I 
am  now  to  return  to  you  and  the  rest  of  our  benefactors  the 
most  sincere  thanks.  The  gentlemen  may  be  assured  their 
donations  will  be  applied  to  the  purpose  they  intend.  We  are 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  wise  cautions  given  in  your  letter ; 
and  we  shall  use  our  best  endeavors  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
Town  may  endure  their  sufferings  with  dignity,  that  the  glori- 
ous cause  for  which  they  suffer  may  not  be  reproached.  We 
trust  that  the  non-consumption  agreement,  which  we  hear  is 
making  progress  in  the  country,  will  put  it  out  of  the  power 
of  any  of  the  merchants  to  take  unreasonable  advantage  of 
raising  the  prices  of  their  goods.  You  will,  however,  remember 
that  many  heavy  articles,  such  as  nails,  &c.,  will  be  attended 
with  considerable  charge  in  transporting  them  from  Salem.  As 
the  bearer  is  in  haste,  I  must  conclude,  with  great  regard  for 
your  Committee  of  Correspondence  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Town  of  Groton. 

Sir,  your  friend  and  fellow-countryman, 
Signed  by  order  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor, 

SAM.  PARTRIDGE. 

To  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  GROTON, 
IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  times  that  tried  men's  souls  were  now  rapidly  ap- 
proaching-; and  the  rights  of  the  Colonies  were  the 
uppermost  subject  in  the  minds  of  most  people.  Groton 
sympathized  warmly  with  this  feeling,  and  prepared  to  do 
her  part  in  the  struggle.  A  considerable  number  of  her 
inhabitants  had  received  their  military  schooling  in  the 
French  war,  as  their  fathers  before  them  had  received 
theirs  in  the  Indian  war.  Such  persons  did  not  now  enter 
upon  camp  life  as  inexperienced  or  undisciplined  soldiers. 
The  town  had  men  willing  to  serve  and  able  to  command. 
Within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  this  very  spot  the  man  was 
born,  who  commanded  the  American  forces  on  Bunker  Hill ; 


'55 

and,  as  long  as  the  story  of  that  battle  is  told,  the  name 
of  Prescott  will  be  familiar.* 

Before  the  beginning  of  actual  hostilities,  two  companies 
of  minute-men  had  been  organized  in  this  place ;  and,  at  the 
desire  of  the  officers,  on  February  21,  1775,  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Webster,  of  Temple,  New  Hampshire,  preached  a 
sermon  before  them,  which  was  afterward  printed.  It  is 
there  stated  that  a  large  majority  of  the  town  had  engaged 
to  hold  themselves,  agreeably  to  the  plan  of  the  Provincial 
Council,  in  prompt  readiness  to  act  in  the  service  of  their 
country.  The  sermon  is  singularly  meagre  in  details  which 
would  interest  us  at  this  time,  and  is  made  up  largely  of 
theological  opinion,  perhaps  as  valuable  now  as  then,  though 
not  so  highly  prized. 

At  this  period  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dana  was  the  min- 
ister of  the  town,  but,  unfortunately  for  him,  he  was  too 
much  in  sympathy  with  the  Crown  in  the  great  struggle 
now  going  on  for  human  rights.  Mr.  Dana  may  not  have 
been  a  Tory;  but  he  did  not  espouse  the  cause  of  the 
Revolution.  The  state  of  public  feeling  was  such  that 
everybody  was  distrusted  who  was  not  on  the  side  of  polit- 
ical liberty.  The  people  said,  "  He  who  is  not  for  us  is 
against  us  " ;  and  the  confidence  of  his  flock  was  converted 
into  distrust.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  his  influence  was 
gone;  and  almost  every  minister  in  New  England  who 
held  similar  opinions  shared  the  same  fate.  It  was  im- 
portant that  the  public  teacher  and  preacher  should  be  in 
sympathy  with  the  popular  mind  on  the  great  political 
questions  of  the  day.  This  was  a  period  of  big  events; 
and  no  man  could  stand  against  their  crushing  force.  It 
was  evident  that  his  usefulness  was  ended;  and  the  rela- 
tions between  him  and  his  parish  were  severed  without  the 
intervention  of  a  regular  ecclesiastical  council. 

Mr.  Dana  was  a  conscientious  man;  and  it  was  his  mis- 
fortune rather  than  his  fault,  that  he  was  not  more  happily 

*  On  the  night  of  May  21,  1775,  t^e  countersign  at  the  camp  in  Cambridge 
was  "  Pepperell,"  and  the  parole,  "  Groton."  This  was  undoubtedly  in  compli- 
ment to  Colonel  Prescott. 


56 

situated  in  regard  to  his  people.  It  is  but  justice  to  his 
memory  to  say  that,  after  Burgoyne's  surrender,  in  the 
year  1777,  Mr.  Dana  felt  that  the  Colonial  cause  was  the 
winning  one;  while  before  this  event  he  thought  that  the 
want  of  success  on  the  part  of  the  Colonists  would  result 
in  their  greater  misery.  He  then  became  satisfied  that  the 
power  of  the  country  was  sufficient  to  sustain  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence;  and  ever  after  he  was  the  uniform 
supporter  of  all  measures  looking  to  its  acknowledgment  by 
the  enemy.  It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  Mr.  Dana,  who 
had  such  a  Tory  bias  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  min- 
istry in  Groton,  should  have  been  a  candidate  in  1782  for 
the  convention  to  form  a  constitution  for  New  Hampshire, 
"  as  a  sovereign  and  independent  body  politic." 

After  his  dismissal  from  the  parish,  he  officiated  during 
perhaps  a  year  and  a  half,  in  1780  and  1781,  as  the  minister 
of  a  Presbyterian  society,  which  had  a  short  existence  in 
this  town.  This  was  owing  chiefly  to  some  of  his  old 
parishioners,  who  were  dissatisfied  with  Dr.  Chaplin,  his 
successor.  While  living  here,  Mr.  Dana  was  appointed  ex- 
ecutor of  the  will  of  John  Bulkley,  Esq.,  an  attorney-at-law 
in  Groton.  This  position  brought  him  in  contact  with  a 
library,  which  he  used  in  studying  law,  though  now  with 
no  professional  eye  to  business.  In  the  year  1779  Thomas 
Coleman,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Bulkley  as  a  lawyer,  had  his 
residence  and  office  in  Mr.  Dana's  house;  and  this  circum- 
stance helped  him  in  gaining  his  new  profession.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1781,  and  began  practice  at  Am- 
herst,  New  Hampshire.  He  soon  attained  high  rank  in  his 
new  calling,  and  received  many  marks  of  kindness  and 
confidence  from  his  neighbors  and  fellow-citizens.  He  was 
offered  the  appointment  to  a  judgeship  of  the  Inferior 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  he  declined.  He  afterward 
accepted  the  office  of  Judge  of  Probate,  which  he  kept  only 
for  a  short  time.  His  success  as  an  advocate  before  a  jury 
was  marked;  and  this  was  due  in  part  to  the  fluency  of 
speech  and  the  clearness  of  expression  resulting  from  his 
pulpit  experience. 


57 

He  died  at  Amherst,  on  April  2,  1798,  and  was  buried 
with  masonic  honors,  when  the  Honorable  Timothy  Bige- 
low,  of  Groton,  delivered  a  funeral  eulogy,  which  is  in 
print.  His  name  is  perpetuated  in  this  town  by  the  Dana 
School. 

During  several  days  before  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  a 
hostile  incursion  by  the  English  soldiers  stationed  in  Boston 
was  expected  by  the  patriots.  Its  aim  was  the  destruction 
of  stores  collected  for  the  use  of  the  Provincial  cause;  and 
on  this  account  every  movement  of  the  British  troops  was 
closely  watched.  At  this  time  the  Committees  of  Safety 
and  of  Supplies  voted  that  some  of  the  stores  should  be 
kept  at  Groton;  and,  if  their  plan  had  been  fully  carried 
out,  it  is  among  the  possibilities  of  the  war  that  another 
battle  might  have  been  fought  in  Middlesex  County,  and 
Groton  have  been  the  scene  of  the  action.  But  open  hos- 
tilities began  so  soon  afterward  that  no  time  was  given 
to  make  the  removal  of  the  stores.  It  was  ordered  by  these 
committees,  April  17,  that  the  four  six-pounders  be  trans- 
ported from  Concord  to  Groton,  and  put  under  the  care 
of  Colonel  Oliver  Prescott.  On  the  next  day  it  was  voted 
that  all  the  ammunition  should  be  deposited  in  nine  dif- 
ferent towns  of  the  Province,  of  which  Groton  was  one, 
and  that  one-half  of  the  musket  cartridges  be  removed  from 
Stow  to  Groton.  It  was  also  voted  that  two  "  medicinal  " 
chests  should  be  kept  at  different  places  in  the  town,  and 
that  eleven  hundred  tents  be  deposited  in  equal  quantities 
in  Groton  and  six  other  towns.  (See  Journals  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety  and  of  the  Committee  of  Supplies 
of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  1774-1775, 
pp.  516-518.) 

In  the  summer  of  1777  the  Council  of  the  State  recom- 
mended to  the  Board  of  War  that  the  magazine  in  this  town 
should  be  enlarged  sufficiently  to  hold  five  hundred  barrels 
of  powder.  This  recommendation  was  carried  out  within 
a  few  days ;  and  a  corporal  and  four  privates  were  detailed 
to  guard  it.  A  caution  was  given  "  that  no  person  be  in- 
listed  into  said  Guard  that  is  not  known  to  be  attached  to 

8 


58 

the  American  Cause."  Later  in  the  autumn,  the  detail  was 
increased  to  a  sergeant  and  nine  privates.  (Archives,  clxxiii. 
274,  290,  549.) 

Two  years  afterward  some  glass  was  wanted  for  this 
very  building,  and  for  the  schoolhouse,  as  the  windows 
were  much  broken.  The  selectmen  of  the  town  could  obtain 
the  glass  only  through  the  Board  of  War;  and  to  this  end 
they  petitioned  the  Board  for  leave  to  buy  it.  (Archives, 
clxxv.  647.)  The  request  was  duly  granted;  and  I  men- 
tion it  as  a  trivial  fact  to  show  one  of  the  little  privations 
common  in  those  days. 

It  is  said  in  a  note-book  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Jeremy 
Belknap,  of  Boston,  printed  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  for  June,  1875,  page  93, 
that  a  negro  belonging  to  this  town  shot  Major  Pitcairn 
through  the  head,  while  he  was  rallying  the  dispersed  British 
troops,  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  It  is  known  that  Pit- 
cairn  was  killed  by  a  negro,  but  this  is,  perhaps,  the  first 
time  that  he  has  ever  been  connected  on  good  authority 
with  Groton.  The  loss  of  life  from  this  town  at  that  battle 
was  larger  than  that  from  any  other  place.  One  commis- 
sioned officer  and  ten  enlisted  men,  residents  of  Groton, 
were  either  killed  or  mortally  wounded.  This  statement 
shows  the  patriotic  character  of  the  citizens  at  that  period. 

The  record  of  this  town  during  the  Revolution  was  a 
highly  honorable  one.  Her  soldiers  achieved  distinction  in 
the  field,  and  many  of  them  in  after-life  filled  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility. 

In  the  year  1776  an  Act  was  passed  removing  the  No- 
vember term  of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace 
and  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  from  Charlestown  to  Groton. 
It  may  be  conjectured  that  the  change  was  owing  to  the 
disturbances  of  the  war.  Two  years  later,  by  another  Act, 
this  November  term  was  transferred  to  Cambridge,  to  take 
the  place  of  the  May  term,  which  in  turn  was  brought  to 
Groton,  where  it  remained  till  1787.  It  is  known  that  the 
sessions  of  the  Court  were  held  in  this  meeting-house  where 
we  are  now  assembled;  and  the  Court  was  sitting  here 


'59 

during  the  famous  dark  day  of  May,  1780.  It  is  highly 
probable  that  the  Shays  Rebellion,  which  broke  out  in  the 
summer  of  1786,  had  some  connection  with  the  removal  of 
these  sessions  from  Groton.  The  uprising  in  Middlesex 
County  was  confined  exclusively  to  this  neighborhood,  and 
the  insurgents  always  felt  a  bitter  spite  against  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  which  they  tried  so  hard  to  abolish.  The 
action  of  the  Legislature  in  making  the  change  seems  to 
have  been  in  part  retributive. 

In  his  senior  year  Joseph  Dennie,  the  poet,  was  rusti- 
cated from  college  and  placed  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Chap- 
lin, the  minister  of  this  town.  Dennie  used  to  say  that  he 
was  sent  away  from  Cambridge  to  let  his  class  catch  up 
with  him  in  their  studies.  After  he  had  been  here  a  short 
time,  under  date  of  February  24,  1790,  he  writes  to  a  class- 
mate, giving  his  impressions  of  the  place.  He  says :  "  A 
better,  more  royal,  social  club  of  Lads  cannot  be  found  in 
America,  college  excepted,  than  at  Groton." 

During  a  part  of  the  first  half  of  the  present  century, 
Groton  had  one  characteristic  feature  that  it  no  longer  pos- 
sesses. It  was  a  radiating  centre  for  different  lines  of 
stage-coaches,  until  this  mode  of  travel  was  superseded  by 
the  swifter  one  of  the  railway.  A  whole  generation  has 
passed  away  since  the  old  coaches  were  wont  to  be  seen  in 
these  streets.  They  were  drawn  usually  by  four  horses,  and 
in  bad  going  by  six.  Here  a  change  of  coaches,  horses,  and 
drivers  was  made. 

The  stage-driver  of  former  times  belonged  to  a  class  of 
men  that  have  entirely  disappeared  from  this  community. 
His  position  was  one  of  considerable  responsibility.  This 
important  personage  was  well  known  along  his  route,  and 
his  opinions  were  always  quoted  with  respect.  I  easily 
recall,  as  many  of  you  can,  the  familiar  face  of  Aaron 
Corey,  who  drove  the  accommodation  stage  to  Boston  for 
so  many  years.  He  was  a  careful  and  skilful  driver,  and 
a  man  of  most  obliging  disposition.  He  would  go  out  of 
his  way  to  do  an  errand  or  leave  a  newspaper;  but  his 
specialty  was  to  look  after  women  and  children  committed 


6o 


to  his  charge.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  when  Mr.  Corey 
went  out  of  his  customary  course,  and  drove  up  to  a  house 
standing  by  the  wayside;  and  with  an  elderly  woman  who 
came  to  the  door  he  left  a  message  that  the  baby  was  better. 
What  a  weight  of  sorrow  these  few  words  of  good  cheer, 
before  the  time  of  telegraphs,  lifted  from  the  heart  of  an 
anxious  grandmother!  I  recall,  too,  with  pleasure,  Horace 
George,  another  driver,  popular  with  all  the  boys,  because 
in  sleighing-time  he  would  let  us  ride  on  the  rack  behind, 
and  would  even  slacken  the  speed  of  his  horses  so  as  to 
allow  us  to  catch  hold  of  the  straps. 

The  earliest  line  of  stage-coaches  between  Boston  and 
Groton  is  advertised  in  the  "  Columbian  Centinel  "  (Bos- 
ton), April  6,  1793,  under  the  heading  of  "  New  Line  of 
Stages." 

In  the  year  1802  it  is  advertised  that  the  Groton  stage 
would  set  off  from  I.  &  S.  Wheelock's,  No.  37  Marlboro' 
(now  a  part  of  Washington)  Street,  Boston,  every  Wednes- 
day at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrive  at  Groton  at  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon;  and  that  it  would  leave  Groton 
every  Monday  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrive  in 
Boston  at  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  It  seems  from  this 
that  it  took  three  hours  longer  to  make  the  trip  down  to 
Boston  than  up  to  Groton.  In  the  succeeding  year  a  semi- 
weekly  line  is  mentioned,  and  Dearborn  Emerson  was  the 
driver.  About  this  time  he  opened  the  tavern,  at  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Pleasant  Streets,  —  though  Pleasant  Street  was 
not  then  laid  out,  —  long  since  given  up  as  an  inn,  and 
subsequently  burned.  There  were  then  two  other  taverns 
in  the  place,  —  the  one  kept  by  the  Hall  brothers,  and  con- 
tinued as  a  tavern  till  this  time;  and  the  other  kept  by 
Jephthah  Richardson,  on  the  present  site  of  the  Baptist 
meeting-house.  About  the  year  1807  there  was  a  tri- 
weekly line  of  stages  to  Boston,  and  as  early  as  1820  a 
daily  line,  which  connected  here  with  others  extending  into 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  Soon  after  this  there  were 
at  times  two  lines  to  Boston,  running  in  opposition  to  each 
other,  —  one  known  as  the  Union  and  Accommodation 


6i 


Line,  and  the  other  as  the  Telegraph  and  Despatch.  Be- 
sides these,  there  was  the  accommodation  stage-coach  that 
went  three  times  a  week,  and  took  passengers  at  a  dollar 
each. 

In  the  year  1830  George  Flint  had  a  line  to  Nashua, 
and  John  Holt  had  one  to  Fitchburg.  They  advertise 
"  that  no  pains  shall  be  spared  to  accommodate  those  who 
shall  favor  them  with  their  custom,  and  all  business  in- 
trusted to  their  care  will  be  faithfully  attended  to." 

There  was  also  at  this  time  a  coach  running  to  Lowell, 
and  another  to  Worcester;  and  previously  one  to  Am- 
herst,  New  Hampshire. 

Some  of  you  will  remember  the  scenes  of  life  and  ac- 
tivity that  were  to  be  witnessed  in  the  village  on  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  the  stages.  Some  of  you  will  remember, 
too,  the  loud  snap  of  the  whip  which  gave  increased  speed 
to  the  horses,  as  they  dashed  up  in  approved  style  to  the 
stopping-place,  where  the  loungers  were  collected  to  see  the 
travellers  and  listen  to  the  gossip  that  fell  from  their  lips. 
There  were  no  telegraphs  then,  and  but  few  railroads  in 
the  country.  The  papers  did  not  gather  the  news  so  eagerly 
nor  spread  it  abroad  so  promptly  as  they  do  now,  and  items 
of  intelligence  were  carried  largely  by  word  of  mouth.  But 
those  days  have  long  since  passed.  There  are  persons  in 
this  audience  that  have  reached  years  of  maturity,  who  have 
no  recollection  of  them;  but  such  is  the  rapid  flight  of 
time  that,  to  some  of  us,  they  seem  very  near. 

Groton  was  situated  on  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares 
leading  from  Boston  to  the  northern  country,  comprising 
an  important  part  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and 
extending  into  Canada.  It  was  traversed  by  a  great  num- 
ber of  wagons,  drawn  by  four  or  six  horses,  carrying  to  the 
city  the  various  products  of  the  country,  such  as  grain, 
pork,  butter,  cheese,  eggs,  venison,  hides;  and  returning 
with  goods  found  in  the  city,  such  as  molasses,  sugar,  New 
England  rum,  coffee,  tea,  nails,  iron,  cloths,  and  the  in- 
numerable articles  found  in  the  country  stores,  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  the  towns  above  here.  In  some  seasons 


62 


it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  in  one  day  thirty  such 
wagons. 

We  are  now  in  our  history  passing  through  a  period  of 
centennial  anniversaries,  and  we  shall  do  well  to  study  care- 
fully their  lesson.  They  are  appearing  unto  us  at  differ- 
ent times  and  in  different  places.  Their  proper  observance 
will  kindle  anew  the  patriotic  fires  of  the  Revolution,  and 
bring  out  all  over  the  land  a  common  devotion  to  the 
Republic. 

Time  rolls  on  rapidly,  and  a  century  is  soon  completed. 
There  are  many  in  this  audience  who  will  see  those  that 
will  be  living  a  hundred  years  hence.  To  look  ahead,  a 
century  appears  to  be  a  long  period;  but,  to  look  back  to 
the  extent  of  one's  memory,  it  seems  a  short  one.  The 
years  fly  on  wings,  and  change  is  a  law  of  Nature.  I  can 
recall  now  but  two  families  in  the  village,  that  are  living 
in  the  same  houses  which  they  occupied  in  my  boyhood; 
and  those  two  are  Mr.  Dix's  and  Mr.  Blanchard's.  A 
familiar  sight  at  that  time  was  the  venerable  form  of  Mr. 
Butler,  whose  character  was  well  shown  in  his  benignant 
face.  His  accurate  History  will  be  an  abiding  monument 
to  his  memory,  and  his  name  will  be  cherished  as  long  as 
the  town  has  a  political  existence.  At  that  time  the  Com- 
mon was  the  playground  of  the  boys,  —  it  had  not  then 
been  fenced  in,  and  there  was  but  a  single  row  of  elms 
along  the  main  street.  Of  the  boys  that  played  there,  many 
are  dead,  others  have  left  the  town,  and  only  a  few  re- 
main. And  the  same  can  be  said  of  the  school-girls. 

The  lines  are  fallen  unto  us  in  pleasant  places,  and  we  all 
have  much  to  be  thankful  for.  What  a  contrast  between 
our  lot  and  that  of  our  fathers !  They  had  to  struggle  with 
many  hardships.  Their  life  was  one  of  stern,  unremitting 
toil,  surrounded  by  cares  and  anxieties.  They  had  to  subdue 
the  wilderness,  while  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  a  lurking 
savage  foe.  We,  on  the  other  hand,  now  enjoy  much  of 
the  material  results  of  their  labor.  We  have  but  to  cast 
our  eyes  about  us,  and  see  the  comfortable  homes  and 
fertile  fields.  They  left  us  the  means  of  religious  instruc- 


63 

tion,  a  system  of  public  schools,  and  an  attachment  to  the 
government  which  they  labored  so  hard  in  founding.  All 
these  they  placed  in  our  keeping,  and  it  rests  with  us  to 
preserve  them  intact  for  the  generations  to  come.  The 
duty  with  us  now  is  to  see  that  the  Republic  shall  receive 
no  harm ;  to  see  that  no  moral  decay  —  the  sure  precursor 
of  physical  decay  —  shall  sap  the  structure  which  they 
reared.  Our  aim  should  be  to  leave  to  our  children  an 
example  as  noble  as  the  one  that  was  left  to  us. 


The  three  monuments  dedicated  on  this  occasion  bore  the 
following  inscriptions :  — 

NEAR    THIS    SPOT 
STOOD   THE    FIRST   MEETING    HOUSE    OF   GROTON 

BUILT    IN    1666 

AND    BURNT    BY    THE    INDIANS 

13    MARCH     1676 


HERE    DWELT 

WILLIAM  AND  DELIVERANCE  LONGLEY 

WITH    THEIR    EIGHT    CHILDREN. 
ON    THE    27TH    OF    JULY    1694 

THE    INDIANS    KILLED    THE    FATHER    AND    MOTHER 

AND    FIVE    OF    THE    CHILDREN 

AND    CARRIED    INTO    CAPTIVITY 

THE  OTHER  THREE. 


COLONEL   WILLIAM    PRESCOTT 

COMMANDER    OF    THE    AMERICAN    FORCES 

AT    THE    BATTLE    OF    BUNKER    HILL 

WAS    BORN    ON   THE    2OTH    OF    FEBRUARY    1726 

IN   A    HOUSE   WHICH    STOOD 

NEAR    THIS    SPOT 


AN 

HISTORICAL   ADDRESS 

FEBRUARY  20,  1880 

AT   THE   DEDICATION   OF   THREE   MONUMENTS   ERECTED 
BY   THE   TOWN 


TO 

of  ttje  CljilDren 


CAPTURED   DURING  THE   INDIAN   WARS   AND  CARRIED   OFF 

FROM   GROTON,    OF   WHOM 

SOME    MADE    HOMES    WITH    THEIR    CAPTORS   WHERE    THEY 

LIVED    AND     DIED,    WHILE     OTHERS     CAME    BACK    TO 

THEIR    NATIVE    TOWN    AND    FILLED    PLACES 

OF    HONOR    AND    USEFULNESS 


HISTORICAL    ADDRESS 

IT  is  the  duty  of  every  community  to  commemorate  the 
great  deeds  and  to  perpetuate  the  important  events  connected 
with  its  history.  The  town  of  Groton  is  performing  that 
duty  when  she  erects  the  monuments  which  we  dedicate  to- 
day. These  stones  are  set  up  to  the  pious  memory  of  the 
founders  of  the  town,  who  worshipped  God  in  that  rude  and 
humble  meeting-house  so  soon  to  be  destroyed  by  the  In- 
dians; to  the  sad  memory  of  that  unfortunate  family  who 
on  their  own  threshold  were  massacred  by  the  savages ;  and 
to  the  honored  memory  of  a  military  commander,  who  was 
the  ancestor  as  well  as  the  descendant  of  a  long  line  of  dis- 
tinguished and  useful  families. 

There  were  not  many  places  in  the  Massachusetts  Colony 
settled  earlier  than  this  good  old  town;  but  old  as  she  is, 
she  is  yet  too  young  to  forget  her  children.  With  motherly 
affection  she  watches  their  career  and  notes  their  deeds.  It 
matters  not  when  they  lived  or  when  they  died,  their  names 
are  still  remembered  at  the  old  home.  It  matters  not  whether 
they  achieved  distinction,  as  the  world  goes,  or  whether  they 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  their  way  in  quiet  paths,  —  their 
memory  is  equally  dear  in  the  family  circle.  Connected  with 
some  of  them  are  certain  local  incidents  of  historical  interest 
which  deserve  to  enter  into  the  thoughts  of  future  genera- 
tions. And  I  submit  that  it  is  sound  public  policy  to  mark 
the  spots  so  closely  associated  with  such  events.  It  is  an  act 
in  memory  of  the  dead,  for  the  benefit  of  the  living.  It  is 
a  debt  due  from  the  present  to  the  past,  and  the  town  cheer- 
fully recognizes  the  obligation.  With  us  and  those  who  fol- 
low us,  these  monuments  will  mean  veneration  for  the  virtues 
of  the  early  settlers,  sympathy  for  their  misfortunes,  and  an 
appreciation  of  their  noble  deeds. 


The  pioneer  Puritans  aimed  at  establishing  a  Christian 
Commonwealth  on  this  continent ;  and  the  General  Court,  in 
granting  plantations  or  townships,  often  required  that  there 
should  be  a  sufficient  number  of  settlers  to  support  a  minister. 
Every  man  was  obliged  to  pay  his  share  of  the  cost,  and  no 
one  seemed  inclined  to  question  the  right  of  such  an  obliga- 
tion. Groton  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  on  May  25,  1655, 
and  in  the  grant  the  General  Court  expressed  the  desire  that 
it  should  be  laid  out  "with  all  Convenient  speede  that  so 
no  Incouragement  may  be  wanting  to  the  Peticoners  for  a 
speedy  procuring  of  a  godly  minister  amongst  them."  Vari- 
ous circumstances  conspired  to  hinder  the  growth  of  the  new 
settlement,  and,  much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  peti- 
tioners doubtless,  it  was  some  years  before  a  minister  was 
settled.  The  very  first  entry  in  the  earliest  book  of  town 
records  —  known  as  "  The  Indian  Roll  "  —  refers  to  the 
building  of  a  house  for  the  minister  and  the  place  for  the 
meeting-house.  It  is  as  follows :  — 

Att  a  generall  towne  meet  [ing,]  June.  23.  1662. 

It  was  agreed  vppon  that  the  house  for  the  Minister  should  be 
set  vppon  the  place  where  it  is  now  framinge. 

Also  that  the  meetinge  house  shall  be  sett  vpon  the  right  hand 
of  the  path  by  a  smale  whit  Oak,  marked  at  the  souwest  side 
with  two  notches  &  a  blaze 

It  is  very  likely  that  the  minister's  house  was  built  about 
this  time,  as  it  was  then  in  the  framing;  but  the  meeting- 
house was  not  erected  until  four  years  afterward.  The 
dwelling  stood  near  the  site  of  the  present  High  School,  and 
for  several  years  the  inhabitants  met  in  it  for  worship  on 
Sundays.  It  was  a  good-sized  building;  for  it  was  used  as 
a  town-hall  and  schoolhouse  as  well  as  a  meeting-house,  and 
subsequently,  at  the  outbreak  of  Philip's  War,  as  a  garrison- 
house,  when  it  was  in  the  possession  of  Parson  Willard. 

The  exact  spot  where  the  meeting-house  stood  cannot  now 
be  ascertained,  but  its  neighborhood  is  well  known.  The 
nearest  clew  to  the  site  is  found  in  the  following  entry  in 
"  The  Indian  Roll  " :  — 


The  Record  of  ye  landes  granted  to  Mr  gershom  hubard  at  a 
ginrall  town  meeting  June  29  1678  viz  all  the  common  land  that 
lye  neare  the  place  wheir  the  old  meeting  house  stood  Dunstable 
hye  way  runing  thorow  it  and  the  hye  way  Runing  into  the  cap- 
tains land  wheir  it  may  be  Judged  most  convenient  by  them  that 
are  to  lay  it  out 

This  record  would  place  the  site  very  near  to  the  North 
Common,  and  nowhere  else.  As  the  meeting-house  was 
"  sett  on  the  right  hand  of  the  path,"  it  must  have  stood  on 
land  now  owned  by  Governor  Boutwell.  The  principal  roads 
met  here  or  near  this  place,  and  it  was  the  most  convenient 
spot  that  could  have  been  chosen.  There  were  at  that  time 
probably  not  more  than  fifty  families  living  in  the  town ;  of 
these,  perhaps  fifteen  were  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
and  the  others  were  scattered  widely  apart,  mostly  on  the 
road  to  the  Bay,  as  the  road  to  Boston  was  called,  and  on  the 
Lancaster  highway.  These  were  the  two  principal  thorough- 
fares of  that  early  period,  and  they  converged  to  a  point  near 
the  meeting-house. 

The  circumstantial  evidence  in  the  case  goes  also  to  con- 
firm this  view  in  regard  to  the  site.  At  a  town  meeting  held 
March  5,  1665-66,  it  was  voted  that  a  pound  should  be  built 
for  the  town's  use,  and  be  placed  near  the  meeting-house. 
Unfortunately,  the  leaf  of  the  original  record  containing 
this  vote  is  now  lost;  but  it  was  seen  and  examined  by  Mr. 
Butler,  who  quotes  it  in  his  History  of  the  town  (p.  41). 
At  this  time  the  meeting-house  was  not  built,  but  the  place 
for  it  had  been  selected.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
the  site  of  the  pound  was  ever  changed  until  within  compar- 
atively modern  times ;  and  there  are  many  in  this  audience 
who  remember  the  identical  spot  where  it  formerly  stood, 
which  was  near  the  North  Common. 

Shortly  after  the  re-settlement  of  the  town,  subsequent  to 
its  burning  by  the  Indians,  the  usual  discussion  took  place 
about  choosing  the  site  of  the  meeting-house,  which  always 
occurs  in  every  small  community.  It  was  not  peculiar  to 
this  town  nor  to  that  time,  but  is  common  to-day,  here  and 
elsewhere.  On  June  8,  1680,  it  was  voted  — 


72 

that  the  meeting  house  shall  stand  wheir  the  other  meeting 
house  or  some  wheir  their  about. 

This  second  meeting-house  is  known  to  have  stood  on  the 
Middle  Common,  near  the  Chaplin  Schoolhouse;  and  this 
would  be  in  accordance  with  the  vote  that  it  should  be  on  the 
old  site,  or  "  some  wheir  their  about." 

The  next  allusion  to  church  affairs,  found  in  the  public 
records,  is  the  following :  — 

At  a  generall  Towne  meeting.  March  18.  1663.  It  was  gener- 
al [ly]  agreed,  as  folloeth 

first.  That  Mr  Millar  is  by  the  Consent  of  the  Towne  ma[ni]- 
fested  by  vote  to  be  desired  if  God  moue  his  hart  there  unto  to 
continve  still  with  vs  for  our  further  edificatfion.]  Richard 
Blood  desents  from  this  in  regard  of  the  time  of  or  desiring  him. 
wc  he  would  have  to  be  after  the  gen :  Court. 

2!.y  That  Mr  Miller  shall  haue  a  Twenty  Acar  lot  layd  out  to 
him  acording  to  the  Townes  grant  to  him 

This  vote  gives  the  name  of  the  first  minister  of  Groton, 
and  contains  the  only  reference  to  him  now  found  in  the 
town  records.  The  inhabitants  little  thought  at  the  time 
that  he  would  be  called  upon  so  soon  to  render  the  account 
of  his  stewardship  on  earth.  In  three  short  months  after  the 
town  had  invited  him  to  continue  with  them  as  their  friend 
and  pastor,  his  labors  ceased,  and  he  went  to  take  his  reward. 
In  the  first  return  of  deaths,  made  by  the  town  clerk  of 
Groton  to  the  clerk  of  the  courts,  the  record  of  his  death  is 
thus  given :  — 

Mr  Jn?  Miller  minister  of  Gods  holy  word  died.  June  12^ 
1663. 

In  the  church  records  of  Roxbury,  kept  at  that  time  by 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Dan  forth,  and  containing  references 
to  events  throughout  New  England,  it  is  written  that  — 

June.  14.  [1663.]  Mr  John  Miller  Preacher  of  ye  Gospell  at 
Groyton,  somtime  Pastor  to  ye  church  at  Yarmouth  rested  fro 
his  labours. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  date  of  his  death  in  these  two  rec- 
ords differs  by  two  days,  but  the  one  given  by  the  town  clerk 


73 

is  probably  correct.  As  the  pioneer  preacher  of  the  town 
when  it  was  yet  a  wilderness,  Mr.  Miller  deserves  more  than 
a  passing  notice. 

The  Reverend  John  Miller  graduated  at  Gonvil  and  Caius 
College,  Cambridge,  England,  in  the  year  1627,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1637.  He  lived  for  a  short  time  in  Roxbury, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  elders  in  Eliot's  church.  He  was 
settled  in  the  ministry  at  Rowley,  from  the  year  1639  to 
1641,  and  perhaps  later,  as  an  assistant  to  the  Reverend 
Ezekiel  Rogers ;  and  during  this  time  he  filled  the  office  of 
town  clerk.  He  was  made  a  freeman  of  Massachusetts,  May 
22,  1639.  In  the  autumn  of  1641,  he  was  waited  on  by  mes- 
sengers from  Woburn,  who  desired  his  services  for  their 
church ;  but  they  found  "  Mr.  Roggers  loth  to  part  with 
him." 

Johnson,  in  his  "  Wonder- Working  Providence  of  Sion's 
Saviour,  in  New  England,"  refers  to  him  both  in  prose  and 
in  verse.  The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  poetry :  — 

With  courage  bold  Miller  through  Seas  doth  venter, 

To  toyl  it  out  in  the  great  Western  wast, 
Thy  stature  low  one  object  high  doth  center; 

Higher  than  Heaven  thy  faith  on  Christ  is  plac't: 

(Chap.  XI.  p.  131.) 

In  the  year  1642  letters  were  received  from  Virginia  set- 
ting forth  the  great  need  of  ministers  in  that  distant  colony. 
The  communications  were  treated  with  much  formality  and 
gravity,  and  were  read  publicly  on  a  lecture-day.  In  view  of 
the  statements  made  in  the  letters,  the  elders  appointed  a 
time  for  their  special  consideration;  and  the  legislature 
voted  that,  if  the  churches  consent,  the  magistrates  would 
recommend  the  missionaries  to  the  government  of  Virginia. 
After  careful  deliberation,  Mr.  Miller  was  appointed  with 
two  other  ministers ;  but  he  was  forced  to  decline  the  invi- 
tation, on  account  of  bodily  infirmities. 

Mr.  Miller's  name  appears  in  the  list  of  grantees  of  New- 
bury,  December  7,  1642.  A  lot  of  land  in  Rowley  was 
granted  him  in  January,  1643-44,  which  indicates  that  his 
ministry  may  have  still  continued  in  that  town.  From  Row- 


74 

ley  he  moved  to  Yarmouth,  where  he  was  the  settled  minis- 
ter, though  the  exact  date  of  his  removal  is  not  known. 
His  daughter,  Susannah,  was  born  at  Yarmouth,  May  2, 
1647;  and  he  undoubtedly  was  living  there  at  this  time. 
He  was  probably  the  Mr.  John  Miller  who  was  made  a  free- 
man of  Plymouth  Colony  June  I,  1658.  In  the  summer  of 
1662  he  was  a  member  of  the  council  that  convened  at  Barn- 
stable  to  consider  the  case  of  John  Smith  and  others  who  had 
seceded  from  the  Barnstable  church.  It  is  not  known  exactly 
when  Mr.  Miller  came  to  Groton;  but  probably  some  time 
during  1662,  as  in  that  year  the  town  voted  to  build  a  house 
for  the  minister. 

His  wife,  Lydia,  had  previously  died  in  Boston,  August 
7,  1658,  leaving  a  large  family  of  children,  one  of  whom, 
John,  was  born  in  England.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  man  of  de- 
cided literary  attainments,  and  a  devoted  servant  of  Christ. 

In  less  than  ten  days  after  Mr.  Miller's  death  the  town 
voted  to  invite  the  Reverend  Samuel  Willard  to  be  their 
minister.  The  vote  was  as  follows :  — 

[Ju]ne  21  [i6]63  Its  agreed  by  the  Towne  &  manifested  by 
vote  that  M?  Willard  if  he  accept  of  it  shall  be  their  minester  as 
long  as  he  Hues  wc  Mr  Willard  accepts  Except  a  manifest  provi- 
denc  of  God  apears  to  take  him  off 

These  persons  folloing  doe  desent  from  this  former  vot.  Rich- 
ard. Sawtell.  Samuell  Woods.  James  Parker :  John  Nutting 
James  ffiske 

Its  agreed  by  the  major  part  of  the  Towne  that  M?  Willard 
shall  haue  their  interest  in  the  house  &.  lands  that  was  devoted 
by  the  Towne  for  the  minestry  suckcessively.  provided  they  may 
meete  in  the  house  on  the  lords  day  &.  vpon  other  ocasions  of 
the  Towne  on  metings.  And  these  persons  ffollowing  desent 
from  their  act 

James  Parker  Ric.  Sawtell  Willia™  Longley  John  nutting 
Tho.  Tarbole.  Jun. 

Richard  Blood  and  John  Clary  att  present 

James  ffiske.  John  longley.  Joh  laran[ce]  Joseph  laranc. 

It  was  then  the  custom  throughout  the  Colony  to  settle 
a  minister  for  life ;  and  it  was  not  supposed  that  a  town  could 
prosper  without  a  regular  pastor,  which  accounts  for  the 


75 

promptness  in  choosing  Mr.  Willard.  He  was  a  recent 
graduate  of  Harvard  College,  and  was  just  entering  upon 
his  chosen  profession.  At  the  outset  there  was  some  oppo- 
sition to  him  on  the  part  of  a  few  men,  but  this  subsequently 
disappeared.  It  reached  its  height  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks,  when  there  was  much  asking  of  mutual  forgiveness, 
as  may  be  inferred  from  the  records,  which  are  in  part  de- 
stroyed, though  enough  remains  to  show  this  fact.  The  im- 
perfect records  read  thus :  — 

[Date  torn  off.] 

...  to  excercise  am  ...  all  Edification  in  the  ways  .  .  . 
glory  &  or  owne  everlasting  goo  .  .  .  vs  And  further  desiring 
ye  Lord  to  .  .  .  what  hath  been  herein  any  way  off  [ensive]  vnto 
him  and  to  help  euery  one  of  vs  to  forg[et]  &  forgiue  what  hath 
been  any  way  offensiue  [to]  each  other  as  we  desire  the  Lord 
to  forgiue  vs 

The  opposers,  to  whom  the  dissension  was  due,  may  have 
thought  that  he  was  too  young  and  ill-suited  to  lead  a  flock 
amid  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  frontier  life.  Their 
fears,  however,  proved  groundless:  he  showed  himself  on 
all  occasions  to  be  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  in  after-life 
attained  a  high  degree  of  distinction.  At  the  next  meeting 
his  salary  was  agreed  upon  as  follows :  — 

[Sept.]  10  i :  It  is  agreed  by  ye  Consent  of  the  Towne  & 
manifested  by  vote  that  Mr  Willard  shall  haue  for  this  year 
forty  pounds  and  if  God  be  pleased  so  to  despose  of  his  &  our 
hearts  to  continue  together  after  the  expiration  of  the  yeare 
(w[e]  hope)  by  or  aproving  of  him  &  he  of  vs  we  shall  we  shall 
[sic]  be  willing  to  ad  vnto  his  maintenanc  as  [God]  shall  blesse 
vs.  expecting  allso  that  he  shall  render  vnto  our  pouerty  if  God 
shall  please  to  deny  a  blessing  vpon  our  labours 

2.  It  is  agreed  &  voted  his  yeare  shall  begin  the  first  day  of 
July  last  past. 

It  would  seem  from  this  vote  that  Mr.  Willard  entered 
upon  the  cares  and  duties  of  his  ministerial  life  on  the  first 
day  of  July,  1663,  on^y  three  weeks  after  Mr.  Miller's  death. 
It  is  probable  that  the  minister's  house  at  this  time  was  fin- 
ished, and  Mr.  Willard  living  in  it,  and  preaching  there  on 


76 

Sundays.  Not  unlikely  in  pleasant  weather  he  would  stand 
in  the  doorway  and  exhort  his  hearers  outside ;  and  when  it 
was  stormy  they  would  crowd  inside,  listening  with  the  same 
attention.  We  can  imagine  how  it  would  try  the  patience  of 
a  good  housekeeper  to  do  the  necessary  cleaning  after  such  a 
promiscuous  gathering.  At  that  time  Mr.  Willard  had  not 
entered  upon  those  matrimonial  relations  which  he  took  upon 
himself  soon  afterward,  and  there  was  consequently  no  Mrs. 
Willard  to  look  after  the  minister's  house  and  keep  it  in 
order.  In  this  emergency  the  town  passed  the  following 
vote :  — 

Sep.  21  63  It  is  agreed  by  ye  Towne  wth  John  Nuttin  &  voted 
that  he  the  said  John  shall  keepe  cleane  the  meeting  house  this 
ye[ar]  or  cause  it  to  be  kept  cleene  &  for  his  labour  he  is  to 
h[ave]  fourteen  shillings 

In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Willard  was  giving  satisfaction  to 
the  town,  all  opposition  to  him  having  apparently  ceased. 
Although  there  had  been  preaching  here  for  two  years,  it 
would  seem,  from  an  entry  in  the  Roxbury  church  records, 
that  a  church  had  not  been  regularly  established.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

July.  13.  [1664.]  A  church  gathered  at  Groyton  &  Mr  Wil- 
lard ordained 

The  distinction  is  purely  technical,  and  relates  solely  to 
matters  of  ecclesiastical  government  and  congregational 
polity.  The  Puritans  laid  great  stress  on  questions  of  this 
kind,  and  until  a  church  was  gathered  the  seals  or  sacra- 
ments could  not  be  administered.  During  these  two  years 
of  preaching  the  Lord's  Supper  was  never  celebrated,  and 
children  were  taken  elsewhere  to  be  baptized.  This  would 
make  July  13,  1664,  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the  first 
church  at  Groton,  as  well  as  of  the  first  ordination. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  time,  Mr.  Willard  took  a  young 
wife,  Abigail  Sherman  by  name,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev- 
erend John  Sherman,  who  was  the  minister  of  Watertown. 
She  lightened  the  labors  of  her  husband,  and  made  herself 
useful  and  beloved  in  the  neighborhood.  In  the  summer  of 


77 

1665,  —  the  exact  date  of  the  record  being  torn  off,  —  Mr. 
Willard's  salary  was  increased  by  ten  pounds,  a  heavy  tax 
at  that  time ;  and  his  family  was  also  increased  by  about  the 
same  amount,  his  eldest  child  being  born  on  July  5.  The 
record  reads  thus :  — 

It  was  ...  of  Mr  Willerde  our  .  .  .  declared  by  voate  y* 
our  time  of  ...  yerly  so  longe  as  god  shall  please  to  ... 
gether  shall  begine  and  ende  vpon  the  29  [d]ay  of  September 

It  is  furthermor  agreed  and  decleared  by  voate  y*  M?  Willerde 
shall  be  alowed  in  consideration  of  his  labours  amonste  vs  this 
next  yere  Inseui  [ng]  the  full  pposion  of  fifteye  pounds  to  be  payd 
by  euery  Inhabetant  acordinge  to  his  pposion  and  as  nere  as  may 
be  in  y*  which  his  nessety  requir[es]  and  furthermor  in  con- 
sideriation  of  the  tim  being  betwene  the  furste  of  July  laste  past 
and  ye  last  of  September  next  we  do  herby  agree  and  promise 
vnto  him  yt  we  will  paye  him  twentey  pounds  for  the  first  thirde 
parte  of  tim  at  or  befor  the  last  of  September  next  and  twentey 
pounds  mor  at  or  befor  the  furste  of  May  next  and  twentey 
too  pounds  and  10  shilings  more  at  or  before  the  last  of  Septem- 
ber next  after  which  will  be  in  ye  yere  1666. 

The  visible  church  in  the  wilderness  was  now  beginning 
to  prosper.  It  was  outgrowing  the  accommodations  fur- 
nished by  the  minister's  house,  and  something  larger  than 
an  ordinary  dwelling  was  needed.  For  a  long  time  it  must 
have  been  a  matter  of  much  thought,  and  the  great  question 
of  the  day  among  all  classes  of  this  little  community. 
Finally  the  matter  culminated  in  the  following  vote :  — 

At  a  town  metting  vpon  The  21  of  the  7  moth  1665  It  was 
this  Day  agred  and  voated  y*  they  will  haue  a  metting  house  bult 
forthwith.] 

It  was  this  day  agreed  and  by  voate  declard  y*  Sargent  James 
Parker  and  Richerd  Blood  shall  make  the  couenenant  with  the 
carpenders  for  the  caring  one  the  worke  puided  y*  noe  other  pay 
shall  be  Requrd  of  any  man  puided  he  will  pay  his  proposon  in 
his  labour  giung  the  carpenders  a  wekes  warng 

A  few  weeks  later  we  find  in  the  records  the  following 
contract,  made  between  the  town  and  Mr.  Willard,  and  duly 
signed  by  the  different  persons  whose  names  are  affixed :  — 


78 

16  of  the  10  moth  1665  It  was  this  day  agreed  and  by  a 
vnanams  voatte  declared  yt  for  as  much  as  god  by  his  puidanc 
haue  setteled  Mr  Willerd  our  Rauerante  Pastor  by  sole[mn] 
Ingeagment  amunst  vs  we  do  therf  [ore]  frely  giue  him  y*  acom- 
adatione  formerle  stated  to  the  minestry  to  gether  with  the 
house  and  all  other  apartanances  apertayni[ng]  ther  vnto  to  him 
and  his  for  eur  from  this  day  forth  puided  he  do  contineue  with 
vs  from  this  day  forth  till  seaue[n]  yers  be  xpired.  But  in 
cause  he  shall  se  cause  to  remoue  from  vs  be  for  the  seauen  yers 
be  xpired  it  is  agfreed]  by  our  Rauerant  paster  one  one  par[t] 
and  the  town  one  the  other  y*  he  shall  leaue  thes  holle  acomada- 
tione  to  the  town  and  be  aloued  what  it  shall  be  Judged  by  In- 
deferant  men  mutally  ch[osen]  on  both  parleys  and  so  the  hous 
and  lanfd]  to  Remayn  the  towns  to  despose  of  haung  aloued  as 
aforsayd  for  what  improument  he  haue  made  vpon  it  But  if  it 
shall  pleas  god  to  take  him  by  death  then  the  house  and  land 
...  to  his  eayers  frely  for  euer 

and  hervnto  we  do  enterchangebly  sett  to  our  hands  the  day 
and  yer  aboue  wretten 

SAM,LL  WILLARD  JAMES  PARKER 

WILLIAM  LAKIN 
JAMES  KNOP 

In  the  name  and  with  the  consent  of  the  towne 

In  the  summer  of  1666  Mr.  Willard's  salary  was  again 
increased;  and  at  the  same  meeting  several  votes  are  re- 
corded in  relation  to  the  meeting-house. 

at  a  generall  town  meeting  held  26  [probably  5th  month, 
1666.]  .  .  .  It  was  agreed  and  declared  by  vote  that  our  re  [ver- 
end]  Pastor  Mr  Willard  should  haue  sixty  pounds  al[ lowed] 
him  for  this  year  Ensuing :  beginning  at  the  29  of  Semptember 
1666: 

And  also  euery  inhabited,  is  hereby  ingaged  to  pay  vnto  our 
reuerent  Pastor  the  third  pt.  of  his  pption  in  merchantable  corne 
at  price  currant  and  also  to  cutt  and  Car[t]  to  his  house  and 
there  to  Cord  for  him  the  aforesaid  30  cord  of  wood  at  fiue 
shilling  p  cord,  betwixt  this  &  the  25th  lo1"" 

Att  the  same  meetinge,  Nathaniell  Lawrenc  and  Samuell 
Woods  now  agreed  with  to  lay  the  planks  vpon  the  meeting 
and  to  do  them  sufficiently,  and  they  are  to  haue  4  s  6 :  d  p  ooo 
alowed  them  in  the  meeting  rate 


79 

Att  the  same  meeting,  James  Knapp  &  Ellis  [Barren]  were 
agreed  with  to  make  2  doores  for  the  meeting  house  &  to  mak 
2  p  of  stares  for  i£ :  and  to  lay  the  vpper  floure  for  4s  6 

At  the  same  meating  Will  Greene  and  Joshua  Whittney  where 
cohosen,  to  he[lp]  the  Glassiar  Goodm[an]  Grant  to  bring  vp 
his  glasse  and  to  be  allowed  for  their  tim  in  the  meeting  house 
rate 

In  December,  1666,  "a  true  account"  in  detail  of  the 
cost  of  the  meeting-house  was  rendered,  giving  the  sum 
total  of  the  expense  up  to  that  time.  In  modern  phrase, 
we  should  say  that  the  building  committee  made  a  report, 
giving  the  items  of  the  cost,  —  although  it  was  not  signed 
by  any  of  the  members.  It  is  as  follows :  — 

A  true  account  of  all  the  pticuler  soms  of  all  the  work  done  to 
the  meeting  house  frame  and  other  charges  as  nailes  hookes  & 
hinges  glasse  and  pulpit  et: 

Inpr  for  Thatch  5  -  o  o 

It  to  John  morsse  for  thathing  and  getting  withs  I  13  o 

It  for  wages  for  those  did  attend  the  thatcher  5  14  8 
It  carting  clay  &  stones  for  daw  [b]  ing  the  wall  & 

under  pinning  300 

It  the  dawbing  of  meeting  house  walls  4  12 8  6 

It  laths  and  nailing  on  200 

It  for  nailes  3  12  3 

It  for  nailling  on  the  clap  bords  7  10  8 

It  for  getting  the  sleepers  and  laying  of  them  140 

It  for  planks  600  &  halfe  2  18  6 

It  fo  seanson  bords  700  &  5  foot  2  12  10 

It  for  laying  of  the  lower  flore  at  4s  6d  p  ooo  182 

It  making  doores  and  two  payres  of  stares  I  o  o 

It  for  laying  40382  of  bords  on  the  gallery  floors  200 
It  for  shutts  for  the  windows  and  making  p'uison 

for  Mr  Willard  to  preach  till  we  haue  a  pulpitt  o  10  o 

It  making  a  pulpitt  3  o  o 

It  for  glass  for  the  windows  35° 
It  for  200  of  bords  and  more  nails  and  more  work 

done  by  carting  &  laying  seats  &c  I      8    o 

50    16  10 


8o 


The  meeting-house  was  now  built  and  ready  for  use.  I 
doubt  if  there  was  a  person  in  the  town  who  rejoiced  more 
at  this  result  than  Mrs.  Willard;  and  her  congratulations 
to  the  minister  and  brethren  must  have  been  hearty  and  sin- 
cere. In  housewifely  language,  homely  but  expressive,  there 
was  to  be  no  more  tracking  in  of  mud  on  Sundays,  and  no 
more  cleaning,  after  a  hard  day's  washing,  on  Mondays. 

There  was  no  dedication  of  the  building,  for  this  would 
have  been  contrary  to  the  usages  of  the  Puritans.  They 
never  indulged  in  such  ceremonies;  and  if  the  town  had 
then  erected  these  historical  monuments  they  never  would 
have  had  the  exercises  of  this  afternoon.  Perhaps  some  of 
you  may  think  that  it  would  have  been  wiser  if  this  genera- 
tion had  acted  in  the  same  way.  It  is  not  unlikely,  however, 
that  Mr.  Willard  took  a  suggestive  text  and  preached  an 
appropriate  sermon  on  the  first  Sunday  that  the  building  was 
used;  but  of  this  there  is  no  record.  I  hold  in  my  hand, 
however,  a  little  volume*  containing  three  sermons  which 
were  preached  there  by  Mr.  Willard  at  other  times.  It  is 
entitled,  — 

*  This  copy  has  a  special  interest  for  me,  as  it  once  belonged  to  a  reverend 
ancestor  of  mine,  and  bears  his  autograph  signature  on  the  title-page.  It  came 
into  my  possession  very  lately,  after  being  out  of  the  family  for  more  than  one 
hundred  and  eighty  years. 


8i 


VSEFVL   INSTRUCTIONS 

for  a  prof  effing  People  in  Times  of  great 
SECURITY   AND   DEGENERACY: 

Delivered  in  feveral 

SERMONS 

on  Solemn  Occafions: 

By  Mr.  Samuel  Willard  Paftor  of  the  Church  of  Chrift 

at  Groton. 

CAMBRIDGE: 

Printed  by  Samuel  Green* 
1673. 

It  is  a  book  of  exceeding  rarity,  —  only  three  copies  are 
known  to  be  extant,  —  and  it  forms  the  only  relic  which 
time  has  spared  of  the  first  meeting-house  of  Groton.  It 
suggests  many  a  contrast  between  that  dreary  and  unfinished 
building  where  our  fathers  met  for  worship,  and  this  spa- 
cious and  commodious  hall  where  we  are  now  assembled. 

Like  all  meeting-houses  of  that  period  of  which  we  have 
any  record,  this  structure  was  probably  square  or  nearly  so, 
and,  as  we  have  reason  to  suppose,  measured  about  forty 
feet  each  way.  It  was  two  stories  in  height,  and  had  two 
doors.  The  roof  was  thatched,  and  probably  a  steep  one. 
The  front  gallery  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  house,  so  that 
the  building  must  have  been  on  the  south  side  of  the  road, 
and  faced  the  north.  This  confirms  the  theory  that  it  stood 
on  Mr.  Boutwell's  land.  There  were  also  galleries  on  the 
east  and  west  sides  of  the  building,  and  the  pulpit  was  placed 
in  the  south  end.  The  window-panes  were  small,  and  prob- 
ably of  diamond  shape.  There  was,  we  may  suppose,  an 
hour-glass  near  the  pulpit,  which  Goodman  Allen,  the  sex- 


VSETVL 

for  a  prof  effing  *Peopk  in  Time  s  of  great 

SECURITY    AND    DEGENERA  CY: 
Delivered  ia  feveral 

SERMONS 

on  Solemn  Occafions  : 


By  Mr.  Samuel  faifard  Paftorof  the  Church  of  Chrilc 
at  GrotoH. 


7*  Son  tfM*ft>  I  havemade  tkee  aWatebmajf  to  the 
I:  tbtrefore  bear  tkf  Word  at  my  mouth^  ttndgfae  them 
Jrommt. 

^.8.  Tb*  Lord  God  bathftoken,  who  c<m  but  Profiefy* 
jer.z.jl.  O  Gwtratiorty  See  ye  the  Word  of  \kt  Lord:  kavt 
Ziie»  4  whterneft'unto  Jfraell  a  Land  of  Jarkgiefs?  vberefon  fay 
»/  PttfkiW  ate  Lor d/t  we  will  cwne  no  more  unto  tbee. 
Haggai.  liS>7»  Tbiufaitb  the  Lord,  CM  fide  r  yo#r  ~ 


'Printed  ly  Shmwl 


To  Ks$elaved  Friends  thelnbabitents  of 
3(0  TO 


'I/at  it  w&i  vota  defoetoapptar  InpitlRc^  bm  to  an- 
fw  yew  rtwefttyfave  light  to  the  ending  Sermon  f, 
je  *re  wy  witnifes,  *nd  tbat  in  the  publishing  of 
them*  I  have  not  endeavoured  to  varntflj  and  paint 
tbemaver  vtitbJUwiffxt  of  tnen-Qhafing,  words  •  the 
thing  it  JeJf  titty  fpea^  i&fbe,ttadingyw(hallfndt 
polking  bttt  wbat  was  Jdivtredin  Preaching,  %axxSa'mg  the  occafon  of 
tbsf**  Tnted  not  advert ift  you,  joa  may  weS  enwg  b  catt£omfndet  the  loud 
wrist  of  f$ealtfn%  providences^  which  forbad  ms  fafucb  a  day  to  be  ft 'lent : 
"ad  tttindey  Gad  wbicli  WJls  upon  tftE_poor.kQfje(re<t  Creature,  wbicb 
Ifai.25.9.  batbfwndejtfiroHgh  tiii  Wil<krnefst  but  you 
yfit$  the  Lotdaffetf  your  bearttjinj  give  you  to  je 


God  upon  tbis  L*nd)tirtd-ut  in  particular,  bids  Minifters  to 
d}  tbe^Lord^God  bath  fooks*i  w*°  caidutf  JPrafoe  fiet  IJ&sw 
gotruption  is.  not  witting  to  htcldftlj  dealt  wit  ha^  but  I  hope  many  ofyo* 
lafKUtotlb  learned  ChrifL  My  beans  defre  find  prayer  f  or  jou  it,  that 
you  may  be  preparedfot  ftakingjirnes,  and  the  nearer  they  approach 
tbemorc  need  havtfWfe  to  be  haiteaedand  ro  ufed  from.oar  loy  tering* 
Jftbefc  poor  labours  ofmine*  may  bdp  in  that  great  bufinefs,  If  have  'mf 
fnds  fully  anfwered^  and  my  dcfir.cforjou.ist  that  tho  fc  afFed^i  ons  may 
be  blown  up  again  inrthcrreading  which  were  kindled  in.  the  preaching; 
Jkwav.lbavebutawhiletohejimongjoUyif  God  fleafe  to  ma  fa  me  by 
Ihefa  or  any  otberweeikji*deavoMrt,9  to  be  under  himinjlrumextalof  your 
eternal  good^  IfoaSdye  wtibjoy  ;  .and  fo  meet  you  aU  ar  the  right;  hand 
if  oar  Jo  jgc  in  that  great  daf,  is  the  higheft  ambition  of 


Tow  unworthy 
A* 


5.  W. 


84 

ton,  watched  and  turned  when  the  sand  had  run  out.  There 
was  no  ponderous  Bible  on  the  preacher's  desk,  as  the  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures  formed  no  part  of  the  regular  worship. 
With  this  exception,  the  order  of  services  on  the  Lord's  day 
was  about  the  same  as  it  is  at  the  present  time.  The  prayers 
were  of  an  almost  interminable  length;  and  the  singing, 
doubtless  from  the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  was  done  by  the  con- 
gregation. The  only  instrument  used  was  the  pitch-pipe  of 
the  leader,  who  lined  off  the  psalms  to  be  sung  by  the  singers. 
What  was  wanting  in  harmony  was  made  up  by  fervent 
devotion.  The  Groton  Musical  Association,  I  fear,  would 
find  much  to  criticise  in  the  musical  method  of  that  day. 
However  much  it  may  have  fallen  short  of  scientific  tests, 
it  inspired  a  religious  zeal,  and  added  a  pious  fervor  to  the 
exercises. 

It  was  the  custom  in  the  early  days  of  New  England  life 
to  choose  a  committee  "  to  seat  the  meeting-house,"  as  it 
was  called;  which  meant  to  assign  the  seats  to  the  congre- 
gation during  a  certain  length  of  time.  This  was  done  every 
year  or  two,  to  meet  the  changes  that  would  naturally  take 
place  from  death  or  other  causes.  The  seats  consisted  of 
long  benches  with  backs,  capable  of  accommodating  six  or 
eight  persons.  The  men  were  placed  on  one  side  of  the 
house,  and  the  women  on  the  other;  and  sometimes  the 
young  folks  had  special  places  given  to  them.  Separate 
pews  for  families  had  not  yet  come  into  use.  The  seating 
committee  was  considered  an  important  one,  but  their  de- 
cisions were  not  always  satisfactory.  The  seats  in  the 
Groton  meeting-house,  however,  were  allotted  by  the  town; 
although  in  the  record  of  the  meeting  on  November  1 1,  1667, 
there  is  a  reference  to  a  seating  committee.  Two  public 
meetings,  only  one  week  apart,  were  held  when  they  were 
assigned,  "  according  to  a  rulle  of  proportion,"  as  the  ex- 
pression was  at  a  subsequent  meeting.  In  the  second  Groton 
meeting-house,  built  but  not  finished  in  the  year  1680,  the 
seats  were  assigned,  first,  according  to  station  or  "  ofis  "  ; 
secondly,  according  to  age ;  and,  thirdly,  wealth  or  "  money." 
The  votes  at  these  two  meetings  were  as  follows :  — 


85 

Att  a  Town  mee[tin]g  held  24  iom  [1666.] 

It  was  agreed  &  by  vote  Declared  yt  all  the  lower  seates  in  the 
new  meeting  house  that  now  is :  should  be  deuided  six  for  men 
&  six  for  women,  And  also  the  two  front  seats  of  the  Gallery : 
the  best  prouision  that  the  town  can  prouide  both  for  the  Min- 
ister and  also  for  the  people  to  sit  upon,  against  the  next  Lords 
Day  come  seauenight  and  euery  one  to  be  placed  in  their  places 
as  they  shall  continue  for  the  future 

Att  a  Generall  Town  meeting  held  31th  iom  1666  ffbr  better 
pceeding  in  setling  seates  for  the  women  as  well  as  for  men  It 
was  agreed  &  by  vote  declared  that  the  ffront  Gallery  on  the 
north  side  of  the  meeting  house  should  be  devided  in  the  midle ; 
and  the  mens  that  shall  be  placed  there;  their  wiues  are  to  be 
placed  by  their  husbands  as  they  are  below 

It  appears  from  the  following  entry  that  Mr.  Willard's 
salary  was  continued  during  another  year.  A  part  of  it  was 
to  be  paid  in  "  country  pay,"  according  to  the  custom  of 
that  time,  and  the  prices  for  the  different  articles  of  food 
seem  to  be  fair.  They  are  based  on  the  silver  money  of  that 
period,  paper  currency  not  yet  having  come  into  circulation. 

Att  a  generall  Towns  meetting  held  ioth  9™  1667  It  was 
agreed  and  by  vote  declarded  to  giue  vnto  Mr  Willard  our 
pastor  for  his  maintenance  for  this  present  yeare  beginning  the 
29th  7m  should  haue  sixty  pounds,  to  be  paid  at  two  payments 
the  one  halfe  to  be  paid  into  to  him,  betwixt  this  and  the  last 
of  March  next:  and  the  other  half  of  the  pay  to  be  paid  vnto 
him  by  the  last  of  September  next  after  the  date  hereof.  And 
for  quality ;  the  major  p*  of  the  Towne  agreed  y*  one  third  p* 
each  inhabitant  shloud  pay  his  third  p*  of  his  proportion ;  in 
wheat  at  5s  p  bushell  or  porke  aft]  3  pence  p  pound  or  butter 
at  6  pence  p  pound  fo  .  .  .  thirds  in  Indian  corne  at  3s  p 
bushelle:  or  other  ...  at  the  price  currant  as  it  passeth  be- 
twixt .  .  .  amongst  ourseleues. 

This  meeting  seems  to  have  been  adjourned ;  at  any  rate, 
another  meeting  was  held  the  next  day.  Timothy  Allen,  the 
sexton,  lived  near  to  the  meeting-house,  which  was,  per- 
haps, one  reason  why  he  was  chosen  to  the  office. 


86 


Att  a  generall  Towns  meetting  held  IIth  9mth  1667  The  towne 
agreed  with  Thimothy  Allen  to  swe[ep]  the  meetinge  house  & 
to  puide  water  ffor  the  babtizing  of  the  towns  children  from  time 
to  time,  for  this  yeare  ensuing,  and  the  sd  Thimothy  alien  is  to 
haue  twenty  shillings  allowed  him  for  his  labor  in  the  next 
townes  rate 

At  the  same  meettinge  it  was  agreed  that  the  seats  in  the 
meetinge  should  be  mad  in  a  pleaine  and  desent  and  comly 
manner,  and  euery  seuerall  company  (that  ar  now  present  in- 
habitants and  as  they  are  now  placed  by  the  towne  and  the 
Committey  formerly  chosen,)  they  should  build  their  seates  at 
their  owne  charge,  And  all  the  fronteers  both  aboue  and  below, 
shall  be  at  the  charge  of  the  laying  the  foundation  sills  for 
the  seates  that  are  behind  them ;  And  what  euer  any  maior  p* 
of  any  company  that  are  placed  together  in  any  seat  shall  agre 
to  build  their  seats  the  minor  are  hereby  inioyned  to  pay  with 
their  neighbors  and  it  was  further  agreed  that  whereas  the 
seates  are  larger  than  the  present  inhabitants  do  fill  vp  then 
when  any  shall  placed  hereafter  in  any  seate  or  seates  y*  then 
they  are  hereby  enioyned  to  pay  an  equall  pportion  to  be  &  with 
those  that  haue  laid  down  the  pay  for  the  building  of  the  seates 

In  order  to  keep  complete  the  historical  chain  of  facts,  I 
make  the  following  extracts  from  the  town  records,  which 
comprise  everything  found  there  relating  to  the  minister  or 
the  meeting-house,  from  this  time  to  the  destruction  of  the 
town :  — 

The  :  8  of  the  10  moth  [1668.]  It  was  this  day  voted  by  the 
mayior  part  of  the  towne  that  the  ministfer  have]  sixty  fiue 
pounds  for  this  yeare  beginning  the  twenty  nine  of  September 
68  shall  shall  [sic]  be  Raysed  the  one  halfe  vpon  the  Accom- 
dations  and  the  other  halfe  vpon  all  the  visible  estat  of  the 
towne  will  longley  Richard  blood  and  sum  others  declaring 
the  Contrarie  by  voyt 

[1669.] 

it  was  voted  that  our  pastors  maintenance  should  be  Raysed 
the  one  halfe  vpon  the  Acomidations  and  the  other  halfe  vpon 
the  visible  estat  of  the  towne  and  the  sum  to  be  sixtie  fiue 
pounds  as  followeth 


87 

first  to  pay  30  pounds  in  Corne  and  tenn  pounds  in  provision 
and  what  is  wanting  in  provision  to  be  payd  in  Corne  and  .  .  . 
tewnty  fiue  pounds  to  be  payd  in  ...  seasonnablelye  or  other- 
wayes  in  Corne 

[December  15,  1669.] 

[At]  the  same  meeting  were  chosen  [John  P]age  and  John 
Nutting  by  the  [town]  to  see  that  Mr  Willard  haue  maintenance 
duely  and  truly  payd  him  and  that  they  bring  the  towne  a  gen- 
erall  acquitance : 

Agreed  with  Timothy  Allen  for  the  keeping  the  meeting  house 
cleane  for  twenty  shillings  and  to  be  payd  in  his  town  charges 

At  a  generall  towne  meeting  12  of  the  IIth  month  1669  agreed 
vpon  voted  and  agreed. vpon  that  all  publik  charges  excepting 
the  ministers  shold  be  raised  vpon  the  accomedations  till  the 
towne  see  good  to  repeall  it 

At  a  generall  towne  meeting  Novem  I  [  I  ]  670  It  is  this  day 
agreed  vpon  and  voted  that  Mr  Willards  maintenance  and  all 
other  Towne  charges  shalbe  raised  for  this  present  yeare  the 
one  halfe  vpon  accomodations  and  the  other  halfe  vpon  visible 
estate 

At  the  same  meeting  agreed  vpon  that  Mr.  Willard  should 
haue  sixty  five  pound  for  this  present  yeare  and  a  sixth  pt 
shalbe  payd  in  flesh  provision  that  is  to  say  in  merchentable 
pork  beef  butter  and  cheese  betwixt  this  and  chrismas  mer- 
chentable wheat  five  shill  per  bush  barley  45  per  bush  rye  45 
pease  45  and  Indian  cor[n]  flesh  meat  to  be  payd  .  .  .  per 
pound  and  butter  at  6  ... 

[December  12,   1670.] 

At  the  same  meeting  agreed  with  Timothy  Allen  to  keep 
the  meeting  housse  cleane  for  this  following  year  for  twenty 
shill  — 100. 

[February  27,  1670-71.] 

Also  agreed  vpon  at  the  same  meeting  that  all  thos  seats  that 
are  yet  to  build  in  the  meeting  house  shalbe  built  in  a  generall 
way  also  a  committee  chussen  to  treat  with  thomas  Boydon  to 
build  them  (viz)  Sergent  James  Parker  corporall  Knop  John 
Pag  Ellis  Barron  and  Nathaniell  lawrance 


At  a  Generall  towne  meeting  held  October  16  1671  This  day 
agreed  vpon  by  the  towne  and  voted  that  Mr  Willard  shall  haue 
sixty  fiue  for  this  year  ensueing  and  that  he  shall  hau  his  wholl 
yeares  pay  by  the  latter  end  of  december  and  the  maner  of  his 
pay  as  followeth  one  third  p*  of  his  pay  in  prouision  and  english 
corne  and  those  that  cannot  pay  in  prouision  and  in  english 
corne  they  are  to  pay  their  Indian  corne  at  two  shill  and  three 
pence  the  bushell  soe  as  to  answer  that  third  p*  of  their  pay 
which  was  to  be  payd  in  English  corn  and  prouision  and  the  rest 
of  their  pay  they  are  to  pay  at  prise  currant  (that  is)  their 
Indian  corne  —  3s  per  bush  wheat  at  5s  per  bushe11  —  pease  Rye 
barley  at  4s  per  bush  and  pork  and  beeffe  at  3d  per  pond  and  for 
the  maner  of  their  payment  to  be  raised  as  it  was  the  last  year 
the  one  half  vpon  the  accommodations  and  the  other  vpon  the 
estate. 

At  the  same  meeting  were  chusen  Sergent  william  lakin  and 
nathaniell  lawrance  and  that  they  shall  se  that  Mr  Willards  pay 
shalbe  brought  in  and  faithfully  payd  to  him  according  to  the 
agreement  of  the  towne 

At  a  Towne  meeting  held  Sept  16  1672  It  was  agreed  vpon 
and  by  vote  declared  that  their  shalbe  a  committee  chusen  by  the 
towne  which  Committee  shall  haue  power  to  seat  euery  man 
according  to  their  best  discretion  and  that  euery  man  shall  pay 
to  the  value  of  the  seat  they  sit  in  the  seates  also  beeing 
valued  according  to  their  proportion  and  disproportion  by  this 
committee  chussen  and  the  committee  chussen  and  the  names 
of  the  men  are  these 

Sergent  Parker  -)  f  james  knop   \ 

Sergent  Lakin     y  and  •<  V 

Tho=  Tarball     )  (  John  Morsse  ) 

Att  a  generall  Towne  meeting  held  Octo  14  1672  It  was  this 
day  agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  Mr  Willard  shall  haue 
for  this  present  year  eighty  pound  and  the  maner  of  his  pay  as 
followeth  a  third  part  of  his  pay  a  followeth  In  english  corne 
and  prouision  wheat  at  five  shil  p  bushell  Rye  barley  and  pease 
at  four  shill  pr  bushell  pork  and  beefe  at  3d  p  pound  and  all  such 
as  cannot  pay  his  third  part  of  his  pay  in  english  corn  and 
prouision  they  shall  pay  In  Indian  corn  at  2  shill  p  bushell 
and  the  remainder  of  his  pay  In  Indian  Corn  at  3  shill  p  bushell 
his  fire  wood  also  above  his  eighty  pound 


89 

and  furder  these  persons  here  set  downe  doe  promise  and 
Ingage  to  git  Mr  Willard  hay  mowing  making  and  fetching 
home  for  eight  shilling  p  load  at  a  seasonable  time  (viz)  in  the 
midle  of  Jully 

Sergent  Parker    \  Timothy  Allen 

Rich=  Blood         /  Ellis  Barron 

James  ffiske  ,  Thomas  Smith 

Tho=  Tarball  Se  j  John  Morsse 

sergent  Lakin       \  Joseph  gilson 

Rich=  holden       )  Pelleg  Lawrance 

At  the  same  meeting  and  by  vote  declared  that  Major  Willard 
shalbe  a  f re  commoner  amongst  vs  for  feed  for  cattell  wood  and 
timber 

At  a  generall  towne  meeting  held  The  7th  of  the  9th  month 
1672  It  was  this  day  agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  all 
Inhabitans  in  the  towne  shalbe  seated  in  the  meeting  house  ac- 
cording to  a  rulle  of  proportion  impartially  (by  the  towne  or  by 
a  committee  chussen  by  the  towne)  according  to  their  best  dis- 
cretion and  the  seates  to  be  valued  and  each  man  to  pay  accord- 
ing to  the  seat  they  sit  in  and  they  are  to  place  in  the  seats  below 
in  the  body  of  the  meeting  house  sixe  persons  in  a  seate  and  to 
fill  vp  the  first  and  second  seat  first  and  to  sit  fiu  persons  vnder 
the  window  and  five  persons  in  a  seat  in  the  front  gallery  and 
eight  persons  in  a  seat  in  the  east  and  west  gallery  —  the  per- 
sons that  are  first  to  be  seated  are  maried  persons  and  also  such 
single  persons  as  may  and  ought  according  to  a  rulle  of  pro- 
portion be  seated  with  them  and  the  other  young  persons  to  be 
seated  till  they  have  filled  vp  all  the  seates  that  are  already 
builded  and  all  such  persons  as  want  seates  after  this  done  they 
haue  liberty  granted  to  them  by  the  towne  at  the  sam  meeting 
to  build  them  themselves  or  their  parents  for  them  at  their  owne 
cost  and  charge  in  such  a  place  or  places  as  are  thought 
most  meete  and  convenient  by  the  towne  and  those  that  are  to 
build  them  and  the  towne  haue  voted  to  submit  to  the  comitees 
order  herein 

and  the  commitee  chussen  by  the  towne  at  the  same  time  the 
persons  are  as  followethe 

Sergent  Parker  ~\  james  Knop 

Richard  Blood    [•  and 

Joseph  Parker    }  John  Morsse 


9o 

At  a  Generall  towne  meeting  held  Nouember  13  1672  It  was 
this  day  agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  the  remainder  of 
the  pay  that  is  still  behind  for  the  building  the  seates  in  the 
meeting  house  shalbe  raised  in  a  generall  way  notwithstanding 
all  other  actes  done  to  the  contrary  either  by  towne  or  commitee 

William  Longley  seni  descenting 

At  a  meeting  of  the  select  men  no  13  72  A  Towne  rate  made 
for  the  defraying  of  seuerall  towne  depts  and  put  into  the  con- 
stables hand  to  gather  (viz) 

for  shuts  for  the  windows  of  the  meeting  house  I     o     o 

At  a  Generall  towne  meeting  held  Janevary  13  1672  This  day 
agreed  vpon  and  by  vot  declared  that  their  shalbe  a  commit 
chossen  for  to  seat  the  persons  in  the  meeting  house  according 
to  their  best  discretion  and  at  the  sam  time  a  commitee  chosen 
and  their  names  are  thess 

Maior  Willard   ~\          C  sergent  L^^ 

Sergent  Parker  v  and  4 

James  ffiske        )          (  John  Lakin 

At  a  meeting  of  the  sellect  men  febr  26  72  Agreed  vpon  by 
the  sellect  men  that  this  division  of  land  which  is  granted  by 
the  towne  to  the  seuerall  Inhabitants  shalbe  as  followeth  by 
proportion  their  shalbe  one  acre  to  one  shill=  disbursement  in 
mr  Willards  Rat  and  we  doe  also  agree  that  of  this  land  that 
was  prohibited  shalbe  only  Indian  hill  and  the  hill  behind 
Nath=  Lawrances 

and  we  doe  furder  agree  that  euery  Inhabitant  shall  haue  an 
equall  proportion  in  these  lands  according  to  disbursements  in 
mr  Willard  rat  and  for  the  rest  of  their  proportion  shalbe  else 
wheir  wheir  [sic]  it  is  most  convenient  for  them  either  Joyning 
to  their  medowes  or  of  Oake  land  on  this  sid  the  Riuer 

only  Mr  Willard  shall  haue  a  proportion  to  a  forty  shilling 
disbursement  —  the  town  consenting  here  to 

At  a  Generall  Towne  meeting  held  no:  19  1673  This  day 
agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  Mr  Willard  rat  shalbe 
raised  ptly  by  vissible  estat  and  partly  by  accommodations  what- 
soeuer  votes  hau  past  formerly  to  the  contrary  as  also  it  was 
agreed  vpon  that  euery  man  hence  forward  shall  haue  their 
draughts  of  land  according  to  their  disbursements  and  those  y* 


haue  them  not  shall  haue  them  mad  vp  and  that  he  shall  haue 
eighty  pound  for  this  present  yeare  and  a  fourth  part  of  this 
payment  to  be  payd  in  money  and  the  other  sixty  pound  to  be 
payd  in  all  sorts  of  graine  at  price  currant  as  the  court  haue 
determined  and  in  prouision  —  and  ten  pound  for  his  firewood 
which  is  to  be  payd  in  by  tim  preffixd  and  if  not  then  to  pay 
their  proportion  in  corne  or  prouision  and  also  agreed  vpon 
that  this  twenty  pound  in  money  is  to  be  payd  in  to  Cap4  Parker 
and  to  Richard  Blood  by  th  last  of  August  or  the  first  of 
septem-  next  —  as  also  henceforward  he  shall  haue  a  quarter 
of  his  payment  in  money  yearly 

At  a  Generall  Town  meeting  held  October  20  1675  Agreed 
vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  our  Reuerand  Pastor  shall 
haue  eighty  pound  for  this  present  year  sixty  1  in  Corne  and 
prwisifons]  forty  pound  of  it  to  be  payd  betwixt  this  and  ye 
twenty  fiue  of  December  next  ensueing  and  the  other  20!  to  be 
payd  in  the  spring  of  the  yeare  vnlesse  god  by  some  speciall 
prouidence  Doe  preuent  and  the  other  20!  to  be  payd  in  money 
the  last  of  august  or  the  first  of  September  in  the  year  1676 

and  40  cord  of  wood  to  be  proportioned  according  to  euery 
mans  proportion  to  be  caryed  in  now  pressently 

At  a  Generall  Towne  meeting  held  no=  8  1675  It  was  this 
day  agreed  vpon  and  by  vote  declared  that  their  should  be  a 
committe  chussen  to  treat  with  Mr  willard  about  sending  down 
to  the  generall  court  to  Enforme  and  supplicat  to  them  that  we 
may  haue  payd  to  vs  what  is  our  due  from  the  countrey  and 
also  that  the  Billit  of  the  souldiers  may  be  vpon  the  countreys 
account  and  also  agreed  vpon  that  if  this  would  not  doe  for  to 
stand  it  out  at  law  with  them 

and  the  commitee  chussen  was  Cap*  Parker  Leiftenant  Lakin 
William  Longley  seni=  John  Page 

Nearly  one-and-twenty  years  had  passed  since  the  little 
settlement  in  the  wilderness  was  begun,  and  it  was  fast 
approaching  its  majority.  The  new  town  had  enjoyed  a 
moderate  share  of  prosperity,  and  was  slowly  working  out  its 
destiny.  The  founders  were  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but 
rich  in  faith  and  courage.  They  had  now  tasted  the  hard- 
ships of  frontier  life,  but  not  as  yet  felt  the  horrors  of  savage 
warfare.  The  distant  thunders  of  a  threatening  storm  were 


92 

beginning  to  be  heard,  and  the  occasional  flashes  put  the 
early  settlers  on  their  guard.  Philip's  War  had  broken  out, 
and  the  outlying  settlements  were  exposed  to  new  dangers. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  town  took  such  precautions  as  seemed 
needful,  and  trusted  in  Providence  for  the  rest.  They  were 
just  beginning  to  prepare  for  the  work  of  another  season, 
when  a  small  band  of  prowling  Indians  alarmed  the  town 
by  pillaging  eight  or  nine  houses  and  driving  off  some  cattle. 
This  occurred  on  March  2,  1676,  and  probably  was  a  suffi- 
cient warning  to  send  the  inhabitants  to  the  garrison-houses, 
whither  they  were  wont  to  flee  in  time  of  danger.  These 
places  of  refuge  were  usually  houses  surrounded  by  a  strong 
wall  of  stone  or  timber  built  up  as  high  as  the  eaves,  with  a 
gate-way,  and  port-holes  for  the  use  of  musketry. 

In  Groton  there  were  five  such  garrison-houses,  and  under 
their  protection  many  a  sleepless,  anxious  night  was  passed 
by  the  inmates.  Four  of  these  houses  were  very  near  each 
other,  and  the  fifth  was  nearly  a  mile  away.  The  sites  of 
some  of  them  are  well  known.  One  was  Mr.  Willard's 
house,  which  stood  near  the  site  of  the  High  School;  an- 
other was  Captain  Parker's  house,  which  stood  just  north 
of  the  hall  in  which  we  are  now  assembled ;  and  a  third  was 
John  Nutting's  house,  on  the  other  side  of  James's  Brook. 
The  fourth  was  probably  north  of  John  Nutting's,  but  per- 
haps south  of  Mr.  Willard's.  There  is  a  tradition  that  one 
stood  near  the  house  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
late  Eber  Woods,  which  would  make  the  fifth  garrison-house 
"  near  a  mile  distant  from  the  rest." 

It  is  recorded  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate,  on  file  in  the 
Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge,  that  Timothy 
Cooper,*  of  Groton,  was  "  Sleine  by  the  Indeins  the  Second 
day  of  march  1675-6."  Cooper  was  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  and  lived,  probably,  somewhere  between  the  present 
site  of  the  Baptist  meeting-house  and  the  beginning  of 
Farmers'  Row.  It  is  not  known  that  there  was  other  loss  of 

*  John  Cooper,  of  Weston  Hall,  England,  in  his  will,  written  November  21, 
1654,  and  proved  the  next  year,  mentions  his  "brother  Timothy  Cooper  now  in 
New  England,"  with  children.  The  will  is  on  file  in  the  Registry  of  Probate, 
London. 


93 

life  at  this  time;  but  the  affair  was  serious  enough  to  alarm 
the  inhabitants.  They  sought  refuge  immediately  in  the 
garrison-houses,  as  the  Indians  were  lurking  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. On  March  9,  the  savages  again  threatened  the  be- 
leaguered town,  and,  by  a  cunningly  contrived  ambush,  man- 
aged to  entrap  four  men  at  work,  of  whom  one  was  killed 
and  one  captured,  while  the  other  two  escaped.  This  second 
assault  must  have  produced  great  alarm  and  consternation 
among  the  people  of  the  town.  The  final  and  principal  at- 
tack, however,  came  on  the  I3th,  when  the  enemy  appeared 
in  full  body,  thought  to  be  not  less  than  four  hundred  in 
number.  The  inhabitants  at  this  time  all  were  gathered  into 
the  several  garrison-houses  for  protection.  During  the  pre- 
vious night  the  savages  scattered  throughout  the  town,  and 
the  first  volley  of  shot  on  the  morning  of  the  I3th  was  the 
signal  for  the  general  burning  of  the  town ;  and  in  this  con- 
flagration the  first  meeting-house  of  Groton  was  destroyed. 
With  its  thatched  roof  it  must  have  burned  quickly.  In  a 
very  short  time  nothing  was  left  but  a  heap  of  smoking  em- 
bers. Although  it  had  never  been  formally  dedicated  to 
religious  worship,  it  had  been  consecrated  in  spirit  to  the 
service  of  God  by  the  prayers  of  the  minister  and  the  devo- 
tion of  the  congregation.  In  this  assault  John  Nutting's 
garrison  was  taken  by  stratagem.  The  men  defending  it 
had  been  drawn  out  by  two  Indians  apparently  alone,  when 
the  savages  in  ambush  arose,  and  killed  one  of  the  men, 
probably  John  Nutting  himself,  and  wounded  three  others. 
At  the  same  time  the  garrison-house,  now  defenceless,  was 
attacked  in  the  rear  and  the  palisades  pulled  down,  allowing 
the  enemy  to  take  possession.  The  women  and  children, 
comprising  those  of  five  families,  escaped  to  Captain  Parker's 
house,  situated  just  this  side  of  the  brook  and  north  of  this 
building. 

There  is  a  tradition,  which  is  entitled  to  credence,  that 
John  Nutting  was  killed  while  defending  his  log-house  fort 
during  Philip's  War.  His  wife's  name  appears  a  few  months 
later  in  the  Woburn  town  records  as  "  Widow  Nutting," 
which  is  confirmatory  of  the  tradition. 


94 

The  Indians  were  a  cowardly  set,  and  never  attacked  in 
open  field.  They  never  charged  on  works  in  regular  column, 
but  depended  rather  on  craft  or  cunning  to  defeat  their  ad- 
versary. The  red  "  hellhounds  "  —  as  they  were  sometimes 
called  by  our  pious  forefathers  —  were  always  ready  to 
attack  women  and  children,  but  afraid  to  meet  men.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  town  were  now  safely  and  securely  housed, 
and  were  masters  of  the  situation.  The  enemy  could  do  little 
more  than  to  taunt  and  jeer  them  from  time  to  time  with 
insulting  remarks.  The  main  body  of  the  savages  passed 
the  following  night  in  "  an  adjacent  valley,"  which  cannot 
now  be  identified,  but  some  of  them  lodged  in  the  garrison- 
house  which  they  had  taken;  and  the  next  morning,  after 
firing  two  or  three  volleys  at  Captain  Parker's  house,  they 
departed.  They  carried  off  a  prisoner,  —  John  Morse,  the 
town-clerk,  —  who  was  ransomed  a  short  time  afterward. 
The  following  reference  to  him  in  an  undated  letter,  written 
by  the  Reverend  Thomas  Cobbet  to  the  Reverend  Increase 
Mather,  shows  very  nearly  the  time  of  his  release :  — 

May  ye  I2th  Good  wife  Diuens  and  Good  wife  Ketle  vpon 
ransom  paid,  came  into  concord.  &  vpon  like  ransom  presently 
[a]  fter  John  Moss  of  Groton  &  lei f tenant  Carlors  Daughter  of 
Lancaster,  were  set  at  liberty  &  9  more  w*out  ransom  :  ( Mather 
Manuscripts  in  the  Prince  Collection,  at  the  Boston  Public 
Library,  i.  76.) 

The  ransom  for  John  Morse  was  paid  by  John  Hubbard, 
of  Boston,  and  amounted  to  "  about  five  pounds."  Morse's 
petition  to  the  Council  to  have  Hubbard  reimbursed  is  found 
in  the  Archives  (Ixix.  48)  at  the  State  House. 

The  population  of  Groton  at  the  time  of  its  destruction 
was  about  three  hundred  inhabitants.  The  Reverend  Wil- 
liam Hubbard,  in  his  Narrative,  printed  in  the  year  1677, 
estimates  the  number  of  families  at  sixty,  and  five  persons 
to  a  family  may  be  considered  a  fair  average.  The  same 
authority  says  that  there  were  forty  dwelling-houses,  besides 
other  buildings,  burned  in  this  assault,  and  only  fourteen  or 
fifteen  houses  left  standing. 


95 

Fortunately  the  loss  of  life  or  limb  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  was  small,  and  it  is  not  known  that 
more  than  three  persons  were  killed  —  of  whom  one  was 
Timothy  Cooper,  and  another,  without  doubt,  John  Nutting 
—  and  three  wounded ;  two  were  made  prisoners,  of  whom 
one  escaped  from  the  savages  and  reached  Lancaster,  and 
the  other,  John  Morse,  was  ransomed. 

The  lot  of  these  early  settlers  was,  indeed,  hard  and  bitter ; 
they  had  seen  their  houses  destroyed  and  their  cattle  killed, 
leaving  them  nothing  to  live  on.  Their  alternative  now  was 
to  abandon  the  plantation,  which  they  did  with  much  sadness 
and  sorrow.  The  settlement  was  broken  up,  and  the  inhab- 
itants scattered  in  different  directions  among  their  friends 
and  kindred.  During  the  next  autumn  John  Monaco,  —  or 
one-eyed  John,  as  he  was  sometimes  called,  —  the  chief 
leader  in  the  assault,  was  brought  to  the  gallows  in  Boston, 
where  he  suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1678,  just  two  years  after  the 
attack,  the  old  settlers  returned  to  re-establish  the  town.  Un- 
daunted by  their  bitter  experience,  they  came  back  to  begin 
life  anew  in  the  wilderness,  with  all  its  attendant  hardships. 
It  does  not  appear  that  the  inhabitants  were  molested  by  the 
Indians  during  this  period  to  any  great  degree,  but  they  were 
by  no  means  leading  lives  of  ease  or  security.  At  times 
troops  were  stationed  here  by  the  Colonial  authorities  for 
the  protection  of  the  town;  and  the  orders  and  counter- 
orders  to  the  small  garrison  tell  too  well  that  danger  was 
threatening.  In  the  mean  while  King  William's  War  broke 
out ;  and  this  time  the  enemy  had  material  and  sympathetic 
aid  from  the  French  in  Canada.  The  second  attack  on  the 
town  came  in  the  summer  of  1694,  and  the  accounts  of  it 
I  prefer  to  give  in  the  words  of  contemporaneous  writers. 
Sometimes  there  are  discrepancies  in  such  accounts ;  but,  as 
a  whole,  they  constitute  the  best  authority. 

Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  thus  refers  to  it :  — 

Nor  did  the  Storm  go  over  so :  Some  Drops  of  it  fell  upon 
the  Town  of  Groton,  a  Town  that  lay,  one  would  think,  far 
enough  off  the  Place  where  was  the  last  Scene  of  the  Tragedy. 


96 

On  July  27.  [1694,]  about  break  of  Day  Grot  on  felt  some 
surprizing  Blows  from  the  Indian  Hatchets.  They  began  their 
Attacks  at  the  House  of  one  Lieutenant  Lakin,  in  the  Out-skirts 
of  the  Town;  but  met  with  a  Repulse  there,  and  lost  one  of 
their  Crew.  Nevertheless,  in  other  Parts  of  that  Plantation, 
(where  the  good  People  had  been  so  tired  out  as  to  lay  down 
their  Military  Watch}  there  were  more  than  Twenty  Persons 
killed,  and  more  than  a  Dozen  carried  away.  Mr.  Gershom 
Hobart,  the  Minister  of  the  Place,  with  part  of  his  Family,  was 
Remarkably  preserved  from  falling  into  their  Hands,  when  they 
made  themselves  the  Masters  of  his  House ;  though  they  Took 
Two  of  his  Children,  whereof  the  one  was  Killed,  and  the  other 
some  time  after  happily  Rescued  out  of  his  Captivity.  (Book 
vii.  page  86.) 

Charlevoix,  a  French  missionary  in  Canada,  gives  from 
his  own  standpoint  another  version,  as  follows :  — 

The  Abenaqui  chief  was  Taxous,  already  celebrated  for  many 
exploits,  and  commendable  attachment  to  our  interests.  This 
brave  man,  not  satisfied  with  what  he  had  just  so  valiantly 
achieved,  chose  forty  of  his  most  active  men,  and,  after  three 
days'  march,  by  making  a  long  circuit,  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a 
fort  [at  Groton]  near  Boston,  and  attacked  it  in  broad  day. 
The  English  made  a  better  defence  than  they  did  at  Pescadoue 
[Piscataqua].  Taxous  had  two  of  his  nephews  killed  by  his 
side,  and  himself  received  more  than  a  dozen  musket  balls  in 
his  clothes,  but  he  at  last  carried  the  place,  and  then  continued 
his  ravages  to  the  very  doors  of  the  capital.  ("  History  of  New 
France,"  iv.  257,  Shea's  edition.) 

The  following  reference  to  the  assault  is  found  in  the 
report,  made  October  26,  1694,  by  M.  Champigny  to  the 
Minister  Pontchartrain.  The  original  document  is  in  the 
Archives  of  the  Marine  and  Colonies  at  Paris;  and  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  Parkman,  the  distinguished  historian,  for 
a  copy  of  it. 

These  Indians  did  not  stop  there ;  four  parties  of  them  have 
since  been  detached,  who  have  been  within  half  a  day's  journey 
of  Boston  [i.e.,  at  Groton],  where  they  have  killed  or  cap- 
tured more  than  sixty  persons,  ravaged  and  pillaged  every  thing 


97 

they  found,  which  has  thrown  all  the  people  into  such  conster- 
nation that  they  are  leaving  the  open  country  to  seek  refuge  in 
the  towns. 


A  "  Relation  "  of  an  expedition  by  Villieu  also  mentions 
the  assault.  A  copy  of  the  paper  is  found  among  the  Ar- 
chives at  the  State  House,  in  the  volume  marked  "  Docu- 
ments collected  in  France"  (iv.  260,  261).  The  writer 
gives  the  date  of  the  attack  some  days  later  than  is  usually 
assigned.  He  says :  — 

On  the  30,  the  Indians  of  the  Penobscot,  not  having  taken  as 
many  prisoners  and  as  much  booty  as  those  of  the  Kennebec, 
because  they  had  not  found  enough  to  employ  themselves ;  at 
the  solicitation  of  Villieu  and  Taxous,  their  chief,  some  fifty  of 
them  detached  themselves  to  follow  this  last  person,  who  was 
piqued  at  the  little  that  had  been  done.  They  were  joined  by 
some  of  the  bravest  warriors  of  the  Kennebec,  to  go  on  a  war 
party  above  Boston  to  break  heads  by  surprise  (casser  des  tetes 
a  la  surprise),  after  dividing  themselves  into  several  squads  of 
four  or  five  each,  which  cannot  fail  of  producing  a  good  effect. 

Judge  Sewall,  in  his  Diary,  printed  in  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Collections  (fifth  series,  v.  391),  writes:  — 

Friday,  July  27.  Groton  set  upon  by  the  Indians,  21  persons 
kill'd,  13  captivated,  13  badly  wounded.  About  9.  night,  Mr. 
Lodowick  comes  to  Boston.  Between  10.  and  n.  there  is  an 
Alarm  through  the  Town  kept  up  till  near  day-break.  Mr. 
Brattle  was  arriv'd  at  Col.  Shrimpton's,  then  he  told  me  of 
Mr.  Lodowick's  unhappiness  in  coming  just  then.  During  the 
Alarm,  Mr.  Willard's  little  daughter  Sarah  dies,  buried  on 
Sabbath-day  a  little  before  Sunset. 

The  Reverend  John  Pike  makes  the  following  reference 
to  the  assault,  in  his  Journal,  printed  in  the  Proceedings  of 
the  same  Society,  for  September,  1875:  — 

July  27.  The  enemy  fell  upon  Groton  ab*  day-break,  killed 
22  persons  &  Captivated  13  (xiv.  128). 

'3 


98 

Governor  Hutchinson,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,"  published  during  the  following  cen- 
tury, writes :  — 

Having  crossed  Merrimack,  on  the  27th  of  July  [1694,]  they 
fell  upon  Groton,  about  40  miles  from  Boston.  They  were  re- 
pulsed at  Lakin's  garrison  house,  but  fell  upon  other  houses, 
where  the  people  were  off  their  guard,  and  killed  and  carried 
away  from  the  vicinity  about  forty  persons.  Toxus's  two 
nephews  were  killed  by  his  side,  and  he  had  a  dozen  bullets 
through  his  blanket,  according  to  Charlevoix,  who  adds,  that 
he  carried  the  fort  or  garrison  and  then  went  to  make  spoil  at 
the  gates  of  Boston ;  in  both  which  facts  the  French  account  is 
erroneous  (ii.  82). 

In  this  assault  the  loss  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  was 
considerably  greater  than  when  the  town  was  destroyed  in 
the  former  attack.  It  is  said  that  the  scalps  of  the  unfortu- 
nate victims  were  given  to  Count  de  Frontenac,  Governor  of 
Canada.  It  is  too  late  now  to  give  the  names  of  all  the 
sufferers,  but  a  few  facts  in  regard  to  them  may  be  gathered 
from  fragmentary  sources.  The  families  that  suffered  the 
worst  lived  for  the  most  part  in  the  same  general  neighbor- 
hood, which  was  near  the  site  of  the  first  meeting-house. 
Lieutenant  William  Lakin's  house,  where  the  fight  began, 
was  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicopee  Row. 

The  following  list  of  casualties,  in  part  conjectural,  is 
given  as  an  approximation  of  the  loss  sustained  by  the 
town :  — 

Killed  Captured 

John    Longley's    family 7  3 

Rev.  Mr.  Hobart's    " i  I 

John  Shepley's                   4?  I 

James  Parker,  Jr/s   " 2  3? 

Alexander  Rouse's            2?  I 

Mr.  Gershom  Hobart,  the  minister,  whose  house  was  cap- 
tured in  this  assault,  lived  where  the  Baptist  meeting-house 
now  stands.  One  of  his  boys  was  killed,  and  another,  Ger- 
shom, Jr.,  was  carried  off.  There  is  a  tradition  extant  that 


99 

a  third  child  was  concealed  under  a  tub  in  the  cellar,  and  thus 
saved  from  the  savages.  Judge  Sewall  writes  in  his  Diary, 
under  the  date  of  May  I,  1695, tnat  — 

Mr.  Hobarts  son  Gershom  is  well  at  a  new  Fort  a  days 
Journey  above  Nerigawag  [Norridgewock],  Masters  name  is 
Nassacombewit,  a  good  Master,  and  Mistress.  Master  is  chief 
Captain,  now  Bambazeen  is  absent. 

It  is  not  known  exactly  when  he  was  rescued  from  cap- 
tivity, but  probably  not  long  afterwards.  The  inscription 
on  the  Shepley  monument  says  that  "  the  Indians  massacred 
all  the  Sheples  in  Groton  save  a  John  Sheple  16  years  old 
who  the  carried  captive  to  Canada  and  kept  him  4  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Groton  and  from  him  descended 
all  the  Sheples  or  Shepleys  in  this  Vicinity,"  but  there  is  no 
record  to  show  how  many  there  were  in  this  family.  Mr. 
Butler,  in  his  History  (p.  97),  makes  the  same  statement, 
but  does  not  mention  any  number.  In  this  list  it  is  placed  at 
five,  which  is  conjectural.  Shepley  lived  near  where  the 
Martin's  Pond  road  starts  off  from  the  North  Common. 
The  knowledge  which  the  boy  John  obtained  of  their  lan- 
guage and  customs  while  a  prisoner  among  the  Indians  was 
of  much  use  to  him  in  after-life.  Tradition  relates  that, 
when  buying  furs  and  skins  of  them,  he  used  to  put  his  foot 
in  one  scale  of  the  balance  instead  of  a  pound  weight.  In 
the  summer  of  1704,  while  he  and  thirteen  other  men  were 
reaping  in  a  field  at  Groton,  they  were  attacked  by  about 
twenty  Indians.  After  some  skirmishing,  Shepley  and  one 
of  his  comrades,  Butterfield  by  name,  succeeded  in  killing 
one  of  the  assailants,  for  which  act  they  each  were  allowed 
four  pounds  by  the  Government.  He  was  the  direct  ances- 
tor of  the  late  Honorable  Ether  Shepley,  formerly  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Maine,  and  of 
the  late  General  George  F.  Shepley,  formerly  a  Justice  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  the  First  Circuit  of  the  United  States. 

A  petition  to  the  General  Court,  dated  May  31,  1699,  and 
signed  by  Josiah  Parker,  says  that  "  James  Parker  Junr 
Brother  to  yor  humble  Pet?r  was  Killed  with  his  Wife,  sev- 


IOO 


eral  of  his  Children  also  were  then  carryed  away  Captive." 
The  number  of  these  children  is  put  at  three,  which  is  also 
conjectural.  The  site  of  Parker's  house  is  unknown.  The 
late  Reverend  James  D.  Farnsworth,  in  a  manuscript  ac- 
count of  William  Longley,  now  in  the  library  of  the  New 
England  Historic,  Genealogical  Society,  says  that  "  two  of 
his  neighbors  named  Rouse  "  were  killed  in  the  same  mas- 
sacre. Alexander  Rouse  lived  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
this  reference  is  to  his  family.  There  was  one  "  Tamasin 
Rouce  of  Grotten  "  received  January  17,  1698-95,  on  board 
the  "Province  Galley"  at  Casco  Bay;  and  she,  doubtless, 
was  a  daughter  of  Alexander.  (Archives,  Ixx.  399.)  Two 
commissioners  had  been  sent  to  Casco  Bay,  to  make  a  treaty 
of  peace  with  the  Indians,  and  to  bring  away  the  captives. 
One  of  the  commissioners  "  took  certain  Minutes  of  Re- 
markable Things  from  some  of  the  Captives,"  and  Cotton 
Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  gives  his  readers  what  he  calls 
"  a  Taste  of  them."  Mather  speaks  of  the  little  girl,  and 
says  that  — 

Assacombuit  sent  Thotnasin  Rouse,  a  child  of  about  Ten 
Years  old,  unto  the  Water-side  to  carry  something.  The  Child 
cried :  He  took  a  Stick  and  struck  her  down :  She  lay  for  Dead : 
He  took  her  up  and  threw  her  into  the  Water :  Some  Indians 
not  far  off  ran  in  and  fetch'd  her  out.  The  Child  we  have  now 
brought  Home  with  us.  (Book  vii.  page  95.) 

Among  the  "  Nams  of  thos  Remaining  Still  in  hands  of 
the  french  at  Canada,"  found  in  a  document  at  the  State 
House,  are  those  of  "  Lidey  Langly  D°[Douer]  gerl  "  and 
"  Jn°  Shiply  boy  oyr  River."  In  this  list  the  residences  of 
both  these  children  are  incorrectly  written,  Lydia's  being 
given  as  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  and  John's,  as  Oyster 
River.  The  name  of  Thomas  Drew  appears  in  the  same  list 
as  of  Groton,  which  is  a  mistake,  as  he  was  of  Oyster  River. 
(Massachusetts  Archives,  xxxviii.  A  2.) 

This  expedition  against  Groton  was  planned  in  part  by 
the  Indians  at  a  fort  called  Amsaquonte  above  Norridgwock, 
in  Maine.  It  was  arranged  in  the  plan  of  operations  that 
also  Oyster  River  —  now  Durham,  New  Hampshire  — 


IOI 


should  be  attacked  on  the  way ;  and  the  assault  on  that  town 
was  made  July  18,  nine  days  before  the  one  on  Groton.  At 
Oyster  River  more  than  ninety  persons  were  either  killed  or 
captured ;  the  prisoners  from  the  two  towns  appear  to  have 
been  taken  to  Maine,  where  they  were  thrown  considerably 
together  during  their  captivity.  Governor  William  Stough- 
ton  issued  a  proclamation,  January  21,  1695,  wherein  he 
refers  to  the  "  tragical  outrages  and  barberous  murders  "  at 
Oyster  River  and  Groton.  He  says  that  several  of  the  pris- 
oners taken  at  these  places  "  are  now  detained  by  the  said 
Indians  at  Amarascoggin  and  other  adjoining  places." 
(Documents  relating  to  the  Colonial  History  of  New  York, 
ix.  613,  614.) 

Hezekiah  Miles,  alias  Hector,  a  friendly  Indian,  at  one 
time  a  prisoner  in  the  enemy's  hands,  made  a  deposition 
before  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Council,  at  Boston, 
May  31,  1695,  stating  — 

that  in  the  month  of  July  1694.  there  was  a  gathering  of  the 
Indians  at  the  said  new  Fort  [Amsaquonte]  and  preparations 
to  go  forth  to  war,  and  that  two  or  three  days  before  they  in- 
tended to  set  out,  they  kild  and  boyld  several  dogs,  and  held  a 
Feast,  where  was  present  Egeremet,  Bomaseen,  Warumbee,  & 
Ahasombamet  with  divers  others,  of  the  chief  among  them,  they 
discoursed  of  falling  upon  Oyster  River  and  Groton  ;  and  Boma- 
seen was  to  command  one  of  the  Companys  &  the  day  before 
they  intended  to  set  forth,  myself  with  ffour  Indians  more  were 
dispatched  away  to  Canada  with  a  Letter  from  the  Fryar  and 
were  upon  our  Voyage  thither  and  back  again  about  ffourt? 
days  and  brought  down  about  two  barrels  of  powder,  shot  pro- 
portionable &  some  fire  armes.  About  the  time  of  our  return, 
the  Indians  came  in  after  the  mischief  done  at  Oyster  River  & 
Groton,  and  in  particular,  I  saw  Bomaseen  in  his  Canoo,  which 
was  well  laden,  there  was  two  English  Captives,  some  scalps, 
and  a  large  pack  of  Plunder  brought  in  that  Canoo,  and  Boma- 
seen two  or  three  days  after  his  return  home  went  away  to 
Canada.  (Archives,  viii.  39.) 

Ann  Jenkins,  in  a  deposition  given  June  n,  1695,  testifies 
that  she  was  captured  July  18,  1694,  at  Oyster  River,  and 
that  she  — 


IO2 


with  nine  Captiues  more  were  Carried  up  to  penecook  &  were 
Left  with  Three  Indians  &  that  party  went  to  Groaten  Boma- 
zeen  being  their  Commander  In  nine  dayes  they  returned  & 
brought  twelue  Captiues  &  from  thence  with  their  Cannoes 
sometimes  a  float  &  sometimes  Carried  untill  that  we  Came  to 
Norridgeawocke  which  tooke  us  fifteen  dayes  &  staied  about 
two  months  there  then  dispersed  into  the  woods  twoe  or  thre 
families  in  a  place  &  kept  Removeing  toe  and  froe  staieing 
about  a  week  in  a  place  untill  they  brought  vss  down  to  pema- 
quid  &  delivered  vss  to  Capt  March.  (Archives,  viii.  40.) 

I  come  now  to  the  sad  story  of  the  Longley  family,  which 
is  commemorated  by  one  of  the  monuments  dedicated  to- 
day. William  and  Deliverance  Longley  were  living,  with 
their  eight  children,  on  a  small  farm  perhaps  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  from  this  hall,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hollis  road. 
Their  house  was  built  of  hewn  logs,  and  was  standing  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  The  old  cellar,  with  its 
well-laid  walls,  was  distinctly  visible  forty  years  ago,  and 
traces  of  it  could  be  seen  even  to  the  present  time.  On  the 
fatal  morning  of  July  27,  1694,  the  massacre  of  this  family 
was  committed.  The  savages  appeared  suddenly,  coming 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Merrimack  River,  and  began  the 
attack  at  Lieutenant  William  Lakin's  house,  where  they  were 
repulsed  with  the  loss  of  one  of  their  number.  They  fol- 
lowed it  up  by  assaulting  other  houses  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood. They  made  quick  work  of  it,  and  left  the  town  as 
speedily  as  they  came.  With  the  exception  of  John  Shep- 
ley's  house,  it  is  not  known  that  they  destroyed  any  of  the 
buildings;  but  they  pillaged  them  before  they  departed. 
They  carried  off  thirteen  prisoners,  mostly  children,  who 
must  have  retarded  their  march.  There  is  a  tradition  that 
early  in  the  morning  of  the  attack  the  Indians  turned  Long- 
ley's  cattle  out  of  the  barn-yard  into  the  corn-field,  and  then 
lay  in  ambush.  The  stratagem  had  the  desired  effect :  Long- 
ley  rushed  out  of  the  house,  unarmed,  in  order  to  drive  the 
cattle  back,  when  he  was  murdered,  and  all  his  family  either 
killed  or  captured.  The  bodies  of  the  slain  were  buried  in 
one  grave  a  few  rods  northwest  of  the  house.  A  small  apple- 


io3 

tree  growing  over  the  spot,  and  a  stone  lying  even  with  the 
ground,  for  many  years  furnished  the  only  clew  to  the  final 
resting-place  of  this  unfortunate  family,  but  these  have  now 
disappeared. 

William  Longley  was  town-clerk  in  the  year  1687,  an<^ 
also  from  1692  till  his  death  in  1694;  and,  only  one  week 
before  he  was  killed,  he  had  made  entries  in  the  town  rec- 
ords. His  father,  William  Longley,  Sen.,  had  also  been 
town-clerk  during  the  years  1666  and  1667,  and  died  on 
November  29,  1680.  The  father  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  town,  as  well  as  the  owner  of  a  thirty-acre 
right  in  the  original  Groton  plantation.  Lydia,  John,  and 
Betty  were  the  names  of  the  three  children  carried  off  by  the 
savages,  and  taken  to  Canada.  Lydia  was  sold  to  the 
French,  and  placed  in  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  a 
convent  in  Montreal,  where  she  embraced  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic faith,  and  died  on  July  20,  1758,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  Betty  died  soon  after  her  capture,  from 
hunger  and  exposure;  and  John,  the  third  child,  remained 
with  the  savages  for  more  than  four  years,  when  he  was 
ransomed  and  brought  away,  much  against  his  own  will. 
At  one  time  during  his  captivity  he  was  on  the  verge  of 
starving,  when  an  Indian  kindly  gave  him  a  dog's  foot  to 
gnaw,  which  for  the  time  appeased  his  hunger.  He  was 
known  among  his  captors  as  John  Augary.  After  he  came 
home,  his  sister  Lydia  wrote  from  Canada,  urging  him  to 
abjure  the  Protestant  religion;  but  he  remained  true  to  his 
early  faith. 

Their  grandmother,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Crispe,  made 
her  will,  April  13,  1698,  which  was  admitted  to  probate  on 
the  28th  of  the  following  December;  and  in  it  she  remem- 
bered these  absent  children  as  follows :  — 

I  give  and  bequeath  Vnto  my  three  Grand-Children  y*  are  in 
Captivity  if  they  returne  Vizdt  three  books  one  of  ym  a  bible 
another  a  Sermon  booke  treating  of  faith  and  the  other  a  psalme 
book. 

The  old  lady  herself  certainly  had  read  the  "  Sermon 
booke  treating  of  faith,"  and  it  must  have  been  to  her  a 


IO4 

great  consolation  in  her  trials.  Fortunately  for  her  own 
peace  of  mind  she  never  knew  that  her  grand-daughter  had 
embraced  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  The  knowledge  of  this 
fact  would  have  been  to  her  an  affliction  scarcely  less  than 
the  massacre  of  her  daughter's  family. 

John  Longley  returned  about  the  time  that  his  grand- 
mother died.  The  following  paper  signed  by  him  is  found 
among  the  Knox  manuscripts,  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society :  — 

John  Longley  of  Groton  of  about  fifty  four  Years  of  age 
Testifyes  &  Saith  That  he  was  Taken  Captive  by  the  Indians 
at  Groton  in  July  1694.  and  Lived  in  Captivity  with  them  More 
than  four  Years ;  And  the  Two  Last  years  and  an  half  at  Pe- 
nobscot  as  Servant  to  Madocawando  of  S"?  Panobscot  And  he 
was  always  Accounted  as  Chief  or  One  of  y?  Chief  Sachems  or 
Captains  among  the  Indians  there  and  I  have  Often  Seen  the 
Indians  Sitting  in  Council  Where  he  always  Sat  as  Chief :  And 
Once  in  perticuler  I  Observed  a  present  was  made  him  of  a 
Considerable  Number  of  Skins  of  Considerable  Vallue  As  an 
Acknowledment  of  his  Superiority. 

JOHN  LONGLEY 

Midd?  SS.    Groton  July  24*  1736. 

Deacon  John  Longley  above  named  personally   appearing 
Made  Oath  To  y?  Truth  of  the  above  written  Testimony. 
Before  me  Benj?-  Prescott  Jus*  of  peace 

(Knox  Manuscripts,  Waldo  Papers,  L.  13.) 

In  the  month  of  July,  1877,  I  was  in  Montreal,  where  I 
procured,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Mother  Superior  at 
the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  a  copy  of  the  record  of 
Lydia's  baptism,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation  :  — 

On  Tuesday,  April  24,  1696,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was 
performed  on  an  English  girl,  named  Lydia  Longley,  who  was 
born  April  14,  1674,  at  Groton,  a  few  miles  from  Boston  in  New 
England.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  Longley  and  De- 
liverance Crisp,  both  Protestants.  She  was  captured  in  the 
month  of  July,  1694,  by  the  Abenaqui  Indians,  and  has  lived 
for  the  past  month  in  the  house  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Congrega- 


105 

tion  of  Notre  Dame.    The  godfather  was  M.  Jacques  Le  Ber,  • 
merchant;   the  godmother  was  Madame  Marie  Madeleine  Du- 
pont,  wife  of  M.  de  Maricourt,  Ecuyer,  Captain  of  a  company 
of  Marines :   she  named  this  English  girl  Lydia  Madeleine 

[Signed]          LYDIA  MADELEINE  LONGLEY, 
MADELEINE  DUPONT, 
LE  BER, 
M.  CAILLE,  acting  curate. 

I  now  pass  over  the  period  of  one  generation,  leaving  be- 
hind Indian  attacks  and  massacres,  and  approach  a  subject 
with  pleasanter  associations. 

One  day  near  the  close  of  winter,  in  a  house  at  the  other 
end  of  the  street,  there  was  considerable  commotion  and 
excitement  when  the  announcement  was  made  that  "it's  a 
boy."  It  was  in  the  family  of  Benjamin  and  Abigail 
(Oliver)  Prescott,  and  it  was  on  the  2oth  of  February,  1726, 
according  to  the  old  style  of  reckoning.  In  due  course  of 
time  the  baby  was  christened  William,  and  his  earliest  expe- 
riences, we  may  venture  to  say,  were  much  like  those  of 
other  little  ones.  Of  course  all  the  women  and  children  in 
the  neighborhood  came  in  to  see  the  young  pilgrim,  and 
pinched  his  nose  and  punched  his  cheeks  to  their  hearts' 
content.  He  came  of  a  sturdy  stock,  and  his  family  name  at 
that  time  was  the  most  distinguished  one  in  the  annals  of 
Groton. 

Jonas,  the  progenitor,  was  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Platts)  Prescott,  and  was  born  at  Lancaster,  in  June,  1648. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  owned  the  mill  in  the 
south  part  of  Groton,  now  within  the  limits  of  Harvard. 
It  is  said  that  a  grant  of  land  made  by  the  town,  about  the 
year  1675,  when  it  was  much  in  need  of  a  blacksmith,  in- 
duced him  to  remove  nearer  to  the  village.  He  built  a 
house  and  shop  on  the  lot,  which  was  situated  on  the  easterly 
side  of  James's  Brook,  perhaps  a  third  of  a  mile  south  of 
Lawrence  Academy.  He  bought  lands,  until  he  became 
one  of  the  largest  owners  of  real  estate  in  the  town. 

Jonas  married,  December  14,  1672,  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Draper)  Loker,  of  Sudbury,  and  they  had 


io6 


four  sons  and  eight  daughters.  Two  of  the  sons  died 
young;  but  all  the  other  children  lived  to  grow  up  and 
have  families.  The  eight  daughters,  with  one  exception, 
married  Groton  men,  and  were  blessed  with  a  numerous  off- 
spring. Jonas  rilled  many  important  positions  in  the  town, 
and  represented  it  in  the  General  Court  during  the  years 
1699  and  17QS  '>  ne  died  on  December  31,  1723,  aged  seventy- 
five  years. 

His  youngest  son,  Benjamin,  was  a  man  of  strong  char- 
acter and  commanding  appearance;  and,  like  his  father, 
filled  many  places  of  usefulness.  He  was  married  on  June 
n,  1718,  to  Abigail,  daughter  of  the  Honorable  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Wilson)  Oliver,  of  Cambridge;  and  they  had  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.  He  lived  near  the  old  homestead, 
having  built  a  house  a  little  easterly  of  his  father's,  where 
he  died  on  August  3,  1735,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years, 
after  a  short  illness  caused  by  over-exertion  while  haying. 
His  three  sons  were  all  remarkable  men,  and  exerted  much 
influence  in  shaping  public  affairs  during  an  important 
period. 

William,  the  second  son  of  Benjamin,  settled  on  a  large 
estate  owned  by  his  father,  in  that  part  of  Groton,  now  in- 
cluded in  Pepperell,  which  lies  near  the  State  line.  He  was 
a  lieutenant  in  the  expedition  sent  in  the  year  1755  to  re- 
move the  French  Neutrals  from  Nova  Scotia,  and  a  colonel 
of  Minute  Men  enrolled  in  this  neighborhood  in  1774.  As 
commander  of  the  American  forces  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  June  17,  1775,  his  name  will  never  be  forgotten.  In 
later  years,  at  various  times  he  filled  the  offices  of  town- 
clerk,  selectman,  and  representative  in  the  General  Court. 
He  was  the  father  of  William  Prescott,  the  lawyer  and 
jurist,  and  the  grandfather  of  William  Hickling  Prescott, 
the  distinguished  historian.  He  died  on  October  13,  1795, 
aged  sixty-nine  years,  and  was  buried  at  Pepperell;  his 
widow  died  on  October  21,  1821,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-eight  years. 

In  modern  times  certain  captious  critics  have  tried  to 
deprive  Colonel  Prescott  of  the  distinction  of  commanding 


ID; 

the  American  forces  at  Bunker  Hill.  They  never  would 
have  attempted  this  act  of  injustice  when  the  old  hero  was 
alive;  for  then  he  had  too  many  soldiers  who  had  fought 
under  him,  and  had  heard  him  giving  orders  on  that  event- 
ful day,  to  allow  the  fact  to  be  disputed.  It  was  the  uni- 
versal testimony  of  all  his  military  comrades,  as  I  believe 
it  will  be  of  impartial  history,  that  the  commandership  of 
that  battle  belongs  to  him.  The  circumstances  surrounding 
the  army  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  were  such  that 
there  may  have  been  but  little  formality  in  assigning  a  com- 
mand; but  there  is  no  evidence  that  Prescott  received  an 
order  from  any  officer  on  that  memorable  field,  while  he 
himself  acted  under  orders  from  General  Ward. 

Besides  the  three  spots  marked  by  the  monuments  dedi- 
cated to-day,  there  are  other  places  in  this  town  that  might 
well  be  designated  in  a  special  manner;  and  I  trust  that 
the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  they  also  shall  have  their 
commemorative  stones. 

The  site  of  the  second  meeting-house,  near  the  Chaplin 
school-house,  is  one  of  these  places. 

Another  spot  well  deserving  to  be  marked  with  a  memo- 
rial stone  is  the  place  from  which  Sarah,  John,  and  Zecha- 
riah  Tarbell  were  carried  off  by  the  Indians,  on  June  20, 
1707.  They  were  children  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Wood)  Tarbell,  who  had  a  large  family,  and  lived  on 
Farmers'  Row,  near  Mr.  James  Lawrence's  house.  Sarah 
was  a  girl  thirteen  years  of  age,  John  a  lad  of  eleven  years, 
and  Zechariah  only  seven  at  the  time  when  they  were  taken 
by  the  savages.  They  were  near  kindred  of  the  Longley 
family,  who  had  been  massacred  thirteen  years  before. 

The  story  of  their  capture  and  captivity  is  a  singular  one, 
and  sounds  like  a  romance.  They  were  picking  cherries 
early  one  evening,  —  so  tradition  relates,  —  and  were  taken 
by  the  Indians  before  they  had  time  to  get  down  from  the 
tree.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  date  of  capture, 
according  to  the  new  style  of  reckoning,  was  July  I,  when 
cherries  would  be  ripe  enough  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  youth- 
ful climbers.  These  children  were  carried  to  Canada,  where, 


io8 


it  would  seem,  they  were  treated  kindly,  as  no  inducement 
afterward  was  strong  enough  to  make  them  return  to  their 
old  home.  The  girl,  Sarah,  was  sold  to  the  French,  and 
placed  in  a  convent  at  Lachine,  near  Montreal;  but  what 
became  of  her  subsequently  I  am  unable  to  state. 

Thomas  Tarbell,  the  father  of  these  children,  made  his 
will  September  26,  1715,  which  was  admitted  to  probate  six 
weeks  later.  After  making  certain  bequests  to  different 
members  of  his  family,  he  says :  — 

all  the  rest  &  residue  of  my  Reall  Estate  I  give  to  be  Equally 
divided  between  my  three  children,  John,  Zachery,  &  Sarah 
Tarbell,  upon  their  return  from  Captivity,  or  In  Proportion 
unto  any  of  them  that  shall  return,  &  the  rest,  or  the  parts  be- 
longing to  them  that  do  not  return,  shall  be  Equally  divided 
among  the  rest  of  my  children. 

In  the  summer  of  1877  I  visited  Montreal,  as  I  have  be- 
fore mentioned,  where  I  procured,  through  the  kindness  of 
the  Mother  Superior  at  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame, 
the  record  of  Sarah's  baptism,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation :  — 

On  Monday,  July  23,  1708,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was  per- 
formed on  Sarah  Tarbell,  who  was  born  at  Groton  in  New 
England,  October  9,  1693.  Her  parents  were  Thomas  Tarbell 
and  Elizabeth  Wood,  both  Protestants,  and  she  was  baptized 
by  the  minister  shortly  after  her  birth.  Having  been  taken  by 
the  savages  on  Monday,  June  20,  1707,  she  was  brought  to 
Canada ;  she  has  since  been  sold,  and  has  lived  with  the  Sisters 
of  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  established  at  Lachine, 
where  she  abjured  her  religion  on  May  I.  Her  godfather  was 
M.  Jacques  Urbain  Robert  de  Lamorandiere,  Secretary  of 
M.  1'Intendant;  and^her  godmother  was  Madame  Marguerite 
Bonat,  wife  of  M.  Etienne  Pascaud,  the  deputy  treasurer  of 
the  King  in  this  country. 

Her  name  Sarah  has  been  changed  to  Marguerite. 

[Signed]  MGTB  BONAT, 

PASCAUD, 
LAMORANDIERE, 
MERIEL,  PRETRE, 


109 

The  boys  remained  with  their  captors  at  Caughnawaga, 
an  Indian  village  on  the  right  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  directly  opposite  to  Lachine;  and  subsequently  mar- 
ried squaws,  and  became  chiefs  of  the  tribe.  Nothing  fur- 
ther in  regard  to  them  is  learned  until  April  20,  1739,  when 
their  case  was  brought  before  the  Council  and  House  of 
Representatives,  in  Boston.  At  this  time  Governor  Belcher 
made  a  speech,  in  which  he  said  that  — 

There  are  lately  come  from  Canada  some  Persons  that  were 
taken  by  the  Indians  from  Groton  above  thirty  Years  ago,  who 
(its  believed)  may  be  induced  to  return  into  this  Province,  on 
your  giving  them  some  proper  Encouragement :  If  this  Matter 
might  be  effected,  I  should  think  it  would  be  not  only  an  Act 
of  Compassion  in  order  to  release  them  from  the  Errors  and 
Delusions  of  the  Romish  Faith;  but  their  living  among  us 
might,  in  Time  to  come,  be  of  great  Advantage  to  the  Province. 

The  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee,  but  no  definite 
result  was  reached.  Nearly  forty  years  after  their  capture, 
Governor  Hutchinson  met  them  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
and,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay," 
refers  to  them  thus :  — 

I  saw  at  Albany  two  or  three  men,  in  the  year  1744,  who 
came  in  with  the  Indians  to  trade,  and  who  had  been  taken  at 
Groton  in  this,  that  is  called  Queen  Ann's  war.  One  of  them 

Tarbell,  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  Cag- 

nawaga  tribe.  He  made  a  visit  in  his  Indian  dress  and  with 
his  Indian  complexion  (for  by  means  of  grease  and  paints  but 
little  difference  could  be  discerned)  to  his  relations  at  Groton, 
but  had  no  inclination  to  remain  there  (ii.  139). 

Some  years  after  this  time  these  two  boys  —  now  grown 
up  to  manhood,  and  occupying  the  position  of  chiefs  — 
moved  up  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  accompanied  by  several 
others,  all  with  their  families,  and  established  the  village 
of  St.  Regis. 

Many  interesting  facts  in  regard  to  these  Tarbell  brothers 
may  be  found  in  Dr.  Franklin  B.  Hough's  "  History  of  St. 
Lawrence  and  Franklin  Counties,  New  York,"  published  at 


no 


Albany,  in  the  year  1853.  St.  Regis  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  the  boundary 
line  separating  the  State  of  New  York  from  Canada  running 
through  it.  A  part  of  the  village  comes  within  the  limits 
of  Franklin  County ;  and  Dr.  Hough  has  gathered  some  of 
the  traditions  in  regard  to  them  still  extant  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. From  the  peculiar  position  of  St.  Regis,  it  was  agreed, 
during  the  last  war  with  England,  that  the  Indians  should 
remain  neutral,  though  the  agreement  was  often  broken.  In 
the  summer  of  1852  the  tribe  numbered  about  eleven  hun- 
dred persons,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  not  one  was  of  pure 
Indian  origin. 

In  former  years  the  St.  Regis  Indians  had  certain  rights 
in  a  land  reservation  in  the  State  of  New  York;  and  more 
than  once  treaties  were  made  between  the  governor  of  the 
State  and  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe,  among  whom  were  de- 
scendants of  these  Tarbell  boys.  A  treaty  was  signed  on 
February  20,  1818,  in  behalf  of  the  Indians,  by  Loran  Tar- 
bell  and  Thomas  Tarbell,  and  two  other  chiefs.  Another 
treaty  was  signed  on  September  23,  1825,  by  eleven  chiefs 
and  trustees  of  the  tribe,  including  Peter  Tarbell,  Thomas 
Tarbell,  Mitchel  Tarbell,  Louis  Tarbell,  and  Battice  Tarbell. 
Some  of  these  names,  I  am  sure,  will  sound  familiar  to  the 
older  ones  in  this  audience.  It  is  very  likely  that  Battice  is 
the  same  as  Sabattis,  an  Indian  name,  which  is  said  to  be  a 
corruption  of  Saint  Baptiste. 

Dr.  Hough  writes  about  one  of  the  earlier  members  of 
the  family  as  follows :  — 

A  half-breed  Indian,  who  usually  was  known  as  PETER  THE 
BIG  SPEAK,  was  a  son  of  Lesor  Tarbell,  one  of  the  lads  who  had 
been  stolen  away  from  Groton  by  the  Indians,  and  who  subse- 
quently became  one  of  the  first  settlers  who  preceded  the  found- 
ing of  St.  Regis. 

He  was  a  man  of  much  address  and  ability  as  a  speaker,  and 
was  selected  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the  tribe  on  the  more  impor- 
tant occasions  that  presented  themselves  (p.  182). 

Dr.  Hough  is  wrong  when  he  says  that  Lesor  was  the 
name  of  one  of  the  captured  boys.  It  is  perfectly  well 


Ill 


known  that  their  names  were  John  and  Zechariah,  but  it  is 
not  improbable  that  one  of  their  sons  was  named  Lesor.  If 
this  was  the  case,  it  was  intended,  doubtless,  for  Eleazer, 
the  name  of  their  youngest  brother,  who  was  less  than  two 
months  old  when  they  were  carried  off.  It  certainly  would 
be  a  very  touching  tribute  to  their  childish  recollections  that 
they  should  have  remembered  this  little  babe  at  home,  and 
carried  him  in  their  thoughts  for  so  many  years. 

In  the  year  1772  the  Reverend  Mr.  Ripley  and  Lieutenant 
Taylor  went  on  a  mission  to  Canada,  in  order  to  induce  some 
Indian  children  to  join  the  Charity  School  at  Hanover,  New 
Hampshire.  They  returned  September  21,  bringing  with 
them  eight  boys  from  Caughnawaga,  and  two  from  Lorette, 
a  village  near  Quebec.  Among  these  lads  was  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  Groton  Tarbells.  (A  Continuation  of 
the  Narrative  of  the  Indian  Charity  School,  by  Eleazer 
Wheelock,  D.D.,  1773,  pp.  39,  40.) 

A  Frenchman,  of  the  name  of  Fovel,  visited  St.  Regis  in 
the  year  1826,  and  induced  one  of  the  Tarbell  family,  whose 
Indian  name  was  Joseph  Torakaron,  to  accompany  him  to 
Europe.  Torakaron  was  to  travel  in  the  character  of  an 
Indian  chief,  and  Fovel  was  to  act  as  interpreter  and  agent. 
They  sailed  from  New  York,  and,  after  reaching  Paris, 
they  obtained  an  interview  with  Charles  X;  and  so  favor- 
able was  the  impression  produced  on  the  mind  of  the  king, 
that  he  presented  them  with  three  fine  paintings,  besides 
some  money.  Subsequently  they  went  to  Rome,  where  they 
were  presented  to  the  Pope,  who  gave  them  some  books  and 
plate  for  the  service  of  the  church.  (Dr.  Hough's  History, 
&c.,  p.  1 66.) 

In  the  summer  of  1877  I  visited  St.  Regis,  where  I  met  a 
grandson  of  one  of  the  Tarbell  boys  who  were  carried  off. 
He  was  more  than  eighty  years  old,  could  speak  only  the 
Indian  language,  and  I  had  to  communicate  with  him 
through  an  interpreter.  In  this  way  I  learned  that  he  was 
aware  of  the  fact  that  his  grandfather  had  been  captured, 
when  a  boy,  from  a  town  near  Boston,  and  that  he  had  rela- 
tives still  living  there.  What  interested  me  exceedingly 


112 


was  the  physical  resemblance  between  him  and  some  of  his 
collateral  kindred  who  lived  and  died  at  Squannacook,  within 
my  recollection.  He  was  a  man  of  ordinary  size,  with  a 
sunburnt  face  and  gray  hair,  though  somewhat  bald.  There 
was  but  little  appearance  of  Indian  blood  in  his  veins,  and 
he  would  have  passed  anywhere  for  a  good-looking  old 
man.  He  lived  with  one  of  his  sons  in  a  small  house  that 
was  clapboarded  and  painted,  —  and  one  of  the  best  in  the 
village,  —  where,  surrounded  by  his  grandchildren,  he  was 
passing  the  declining  years  of  his  life  in  comfortable  ease. 
I  was  interested  to  learn  from  the  Reverend  Francis  Mar- 
coux,  the  parish  priest,  that  the  Tarbells  were  among  the 
most  prominent  families  of  the  settlement,  where  there  are, 
perhaps,  forty  persons  who  bear  the  name.  They  keep  up, 
in  a  great  measure,  the  same  given  names  that  are  common 
among  their  kindred  in  this  neighborhood.  The  inhab- 
itants of  St.  Regis,  for  the  most  part,  retain  the  English 
names  of  their  fathers,  and,  besides,  have  Indian  ones. 

A  third  spot  that  might  appropriately  be  marked  by  the 
town  is  the  place  where  John  Shattuck  and  his  eldest  son 
John,  a  young  man  in  his  nineteenth  year,  were  murdered 
by  the  Indians,  May  8,  1709.  They  were  returning  from 
the  west  side  of  the  Nashua  River,  where  Mr.  Shattuck 
owned  land,  and  were  attacked  just  as  they  were  crossing  the 
Stony  Fordway,  below  the  dam,  near  the  Hollingsworth 
Paper-mills,  where  they  were  killed.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  Mr.  Shattuck,  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town. 
[A  memorial  stone  with  a  suitable  inscription  was  placed 
near  the  bridge  in  December,  1882.] 

A  remarkable  fatality  seems  to  have  followed  Mrs.  Shat- 
tuck's  kindred.  Her  husband  and  eldest  son  were  killed  by 
the  Indians,  as  has  just  been  mentioned.  Her  father,  James 
Blood,  was  likewise  killed,  September  13,  1692.  So  also 
were  her  uncle,  William  Longley,  his  wife  and  five  children, 
July  27,  1694;  and  three  others  of  their  children  were  car- 
ried away  into  captivity  at  the  same  time.  A  relative,  James 
Parker,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  were  killed  in  this  assault,  and 
their  children  taken  prisoners.  Her  step-father,  Enosh  Law- 


"3 

rence,  received  a  wound  in  an  engagement  with  the  Indians, 
probably  in  the  same  attack  of  July  27,  1694,  which  almost 
wholly  prevented  him  from  earning  a  livelihood  for  himself 
and  family.  The  three  Tarbell  children,  who  were  carried 
off  to  Canada  by  the  Indians,  June  20,  1707,  were  cousins 
of  Mrs.  Shattuck.  John  Ames,  who  was  shot  by  the  savages 
at  the  gate  of  his  own  garrison,  July  9,  1724,  was  the  father 
of  Jacob,  who  married  her  niece,  Ruth  Shattuck.  And  lastly, 
her  son-in-law,  Isaac  Lakin,  the  husband  of  her  daughter 
Elizabeth,  was  wounded  in  Lovewell's  fight  at  Pigwacket, 
May  8,  1725.  These  calamities  covered  a  period  of  only  one 
generation,  extending  from  the  year  1692  to  1725. 

The  task  which  you  assigned  me  is  now  done ;  and  I  need 
not  assure  you  that  it  has  been  a  labor  of  love.  I  will  end 
it  by  saying  that  the  lesson  of  these  monuments  will  be  lost, 
if  it  does  not  teach  us  to  study  the  example  and  to  imitate  the 
virtues  of  the  founders  of  the  town. 


AN 

HISTORICAL   ADDRESS 

JULY  12,  1905 

ON    THE    CELEBRATION    OF    THE 

Two  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE 
SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  TOWN 


TO   THE   MEMORY 
OF 

of  <0roton 


TO  WHOM   IN    MANY   WAYS  THE   PRESENT    INHABITANTS 
OWE    SO    MUCH 

THESE  PAGES  ARE  INSCRIBED 


HISTORICAL    ADDRESS 

ON  this  interesting  occasion  we  all  miss  the  presence  of  one 
whose  form  and  figure  were  familiar  to  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  town ;  and  only  a  few  months  ago  we  were  all 
looking  forward  to  the  time  when  he  would  take  a  promi- 
nent part  in  these  exercises  of  to-day.    Some  of  us  remem- 
ber the  Bi-centennial  Celebration  which  took  place  a  half- 
century  ago,  and  a  few  of  us  now  in  this  assembly  were 
present  at  that  gathering.    We  recall  the  grace  and  dignity 
with  which  he,  as  President  of  the  day  on  that  occasion, 
performed  the  duties  of  his  office,  both  in  the  meeting- 
house where  the  historical  address  was  given,  and  in  the  tent 
where  the  after-dinner  speeches  were  made.     Whenever  or 
wherever  his  services  were  needed,  whether  in  the  councils 
of  the  State  or  the  Nation,  they  were  always  cheerfully 
rendered ;  and  in  this  quiet  village  his  aid  and  advice,  often 
sought  by  his  townsfolk,  were  always   freely  given.     In 
many  walks  of  life,  both  lofty  and  lowly,  his  absence  will 
be  keenly  felt ;  but  here  among  his  old-time  neighbors  more 
than  elsewhere,  the  loss  is  a  personal  one,  and  comes  home 
to  us  all.    We  miss  him  now  at  this  time  more  than  words 
can  tell.     When  death  strikes  such  a  man,  who  has  led  a 
blameless  life,   and  whose  bodily   frame  has  become   en- 
feebled by  the  infirmities  of  age,  his  removal  is  not  a  cause 
for  sorrow;   but  rather  it  is  an  occasion  for  devout  grati- 
tude to  Heaven  and  for  heartfelt  thanksgivings  that  he  was 
spared  to  us  during  so  many  years.    Life  is  at  the  longest 
only  a  short  period  of  probation,  and  birth  is  but  the  begin- 
ning of  death.    The  noble  example  of  such  a  character  is  as 
lasting  as  the  countless  ages  of  time,  and  is  never  lost,  for 
the  continuity  of  life  keeps  up  the  thread  of  connection. 
He  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  the  fulness  of  all  his  mental 
and  intellectual  powers,  which  seemed  to  strengthen  as  the 


I2O 


years  rolled  by.  Truly  he  was  the  Grand  Old  Man  of  the 
Commonwealth !  As  long  as  the  town  of  Groton  shall  have 
a  municipal  existence,  the  memory  and  traditions  connected 
with  the  name  of  Boutwell  will  be  counted  among  her  rich- 
est treasures. 

The  story  of  this  town  has  been  told  so  many  times,  both 
in  printed  book  and  public  address,  that  now  I  shall  not 
repeat  the  tale.  I  might  give  a  narrative  of  the  trials  and 
troubles,  suffered  equally  by  brave  men  and  hardy  women, 
during  the  first  century  of  the  settlement ;  I  might  tell  how 
the  town  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  burnt,  and  how 
the  inhabitants  were  driven  away  from  their  homes  and 
compelled  for  a  while  to  abandon  the  place;  how  on  vari- 
ous occasions  men  were  killed  by  the  savages,  families 
broken  up,  and  children  carried  off  into  captivity;  and  how 
oftentimes  from  the  failure  of  crops  they  were  pinched  by 
want ;  and  how  they  endured  other  privations,  —  but  a 
rehearsal  of  these  facts  at  this  time  would  be  as  tedious  as 
a  twice-told  tale.  Instead  of  describing  the  sad  and  dread- 
ful experiences  of  the  early  settlers,  and  the  destruction  of 
their  homes  by  fire  and  hideous  ruin,  I  shall  confine  myself 
to  other  topics,  and  speak  of  some  of  the  conditions  of 
their  day,  bringing  the  account  down  to  a  later  period,  and 
touching  on  a  few  of  the  more  important  events  in  our 
local  history. 

In  early  Colonial  days  a  town  did  not  become  a  municipal 
corporation  by  formal  vote  of  the  General  Court,  with 
power  to  act  as  one  person,  but  a  grant  of  land,  sometimes 
containing  many  thousand  acres,  was  made  to  a  body  of 
men  under  certain  conditions,  which  was  practically  a  quasi 
form  of  incorporation.  The  most  important  of  these  con- 
ditions was  the  speedy  settlement  of  a  Godly  minister,  and 
often  another  condition  was  that  those  persons  who  re- 
ceived land  should  build  houses  thereon  within  a  stated 
period  of  time.  Sometimes  a  board  of  selectmen  was 
named  by  the  Legislature,  who  should  look  after  the  pru- 
dential affairs  of  the  town  until  their  successors  were 
chosen.  In  those  days  this  course  was  substantially  the 
only  formality  needed  in  order  to  give  local  self-govern- 


121 


ment  to  a  new  community.  The  term  "  prudential  affairs  " 
was  a  convenient  expression,  intended  to  cover  anything 
required  by  a  town  which  prudence  would  dictate. 

In  the  early  records  of  the  Colony  the  proceedings  of 
the  General  Court,  as  a  rule,  were  not  dated  day  by  day, 
—  though  there  are  many  exceptions,  —  but  the  beginning 
of  the  session  is  always  given,  and  occasionally  the  days 
of  the  month  are  entered.  These  dates  in  the  printed  edi- 
tion of  the  Records  are  frequently  carried  along  without 
authority,  sometimes  covering  a  period  of  several  days,  or 
even  a  week  or  more;  and  for  this  reason  often  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell  the  exact  date  of  any  particular  legislation 
unless  there  are  contemporary  documents  on  file  which  bear 
on  the  subject.  In  a  few  instances  papers  are  found  among 
the  State  Archives  or  elsewhere,  which  fix  the  date  of  such 
legislation  as  is  wanting  in  the  official  reports. 

For  these  reasons  it  is  impossible  to  tell  to  a  dot  or  a 
day,  with  entire  certainty,  when  the  town  of  Groton  began 
its  municipal  life  or  official  existence,  —  or,  in  other  words, 
when  it  was  "  incorporated,"  as  the  modern  expression  is. 
Without  any  doubt  the  date  was  near  the  end  of  May, 
1655,  Old  Style.  It  must  have  been  after  May  23,  as  on 
that  day  the  General  Court  began  its  session;  and  it  was 
before  May  29,  when  the  next  entry  in  the  records  ap- 
pears. Fortunately  there  is  still  preserved  among  the 
manuscripts  of  the  New-England  Historic  Genealogical 
Society  a  contemporary  record  of  the  action  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court  in  regard  to  the  matter.  This  interesting  old 
paper,  officially  attested  by  Edward  Rawson,  Secretary  of 
the  Colony,  and  by  William  Torrey,  Clerk  of  the  Depu- 
ties, was  given  to  that  Society  by  the  late  Charles  Woolley, 
for  many  years  an  honored  resident  of  Groton.  This 
document  was  signed  on  May  25,  the  day  when  the  As- 
sistants, or  Magistrates  as  they  are  often  called,  granted 
the  petition,  and  apparently  at  the  same  time  the  House 
of  Deputies  took  concurrent  action.  At  that  period  the 
Assistants  formed  the  body  of  law-makers  which  is 
known  to-day  as  the  State  Senate;  and  at  that  time  the 

16 


122 


House  of  Deputies  corresponded  to  the  present  House  of 
Representatives. 

It  may  be  proper  to  add  that  the  Groton  Historical  So- 
ciety owns  a  contemporary  copy  of  the  record  made  near 
the  time  of  the  Grant  by  Edward  Rawson,  Secretary  of  the 
Colony,  which  is  dated  May  23,  1655.  It  was  found 
among-  the  papers  of  the  late  John  Boynton,  a  former  town- 
clerk  of  Groton,  and  it  may  have  been  sent,  soon  after  the 
settlement  of  the  town,  to  the  selectmen  for  their  infor- 
mation and  guidance.  Perhaps  the  Secretary  took  the  first 
day  of  the  General  Court,  as  in  England  before  April  8, 
1793,  all  laws  passed  at  a  session  of  Parliament  went  into 
effect  from  the  first  day,  unless  there  was  some  clause  to 
the  contrary. 

But  whatever  the  date,  be  it  a  few  days  more  or  less, 
the  substance  is  always  of  greater  importance  than  the 
shadow;  so  it  is  of  less  moment  to  learn  the  exact  time 
of  the  order  than  it  is  to  know  that  the  town  has  now 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  two  centuries  and  a  half,  and 
that  she  wears  the  dignity  of  her  increasing  years  like  a 
crown  of  glory. 

Besides  Groton  the  only  two  other  towns  established  in 
the  year  1655  by  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  were 
Billerica  and  Chelmsford;  and  singularly  enough  all  three 
were  contiguous  townships,  lying  in  the  same  county,  and 
all  three  "  incorporated  "  within  a  very  few  days  of  each 
other.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  originally  the 
town  of  Westford  was  a  part  of  the  territory  of  Chelms- 
ford. Why  these  three  adjoining  towns  were  thus  created 
at  this  particular  time  may  not  have  been  a  mere  coinci- 
dence. It  may  have  been  the  result  of  a  certain  condition 
of  political  "  ins "  and  "  outs "  at  that  early  period  of 
Colonial  history  which  now  cannot  be  explained. 

The  Charter,  duly  given  by  Charles  I,  was  abrogated 
by  the  English  courts  in  the  summer  of  1684.  The  action 
was  considered  by  the  Colonists  as  little  short  of  a  gross 
outrage,  and  caused  much  confusion  in  public  affairs  as 
well  as  hard  feeling  among  the  people.  Says  Palfrey,  in 


123 

his  "History  of  New  England"  (iv.  5),  "The  charter 
of  Massachusetts,  the  only  unquestionable  title  of  her  citi- 
zens to  any  rights,  proprietary,  social,  or  political,  had  been 
vacated  by  regular  process  in  the  English  courts."  It  was 
vacated  by  a  decree  in  Chancery,  on  June  21,  1684,  which 
was  confirmed  on  October  23  of  the  same  year.  On  May 
25,  1686,  Joseph  Dudley,  a  native  of  Roxbury,  under  a 
commission  from  King  James  II,  became  President  of  New 
England,  with  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  region.  This 
office  he  held  for  seven  months,  until  December  30,  when 
Edmund  Andros  became  Governor  of  New  England,  ap- 
pointed by  James  II.  He  proved  to  be  a  highly  arbitrary 
officer,  and  was  deposed  by  a  revolution  of  the  people,  on 
April  1 8,  1689.  Andros  was  followed  by  Simon  Brad- 
street,  who  was  Governor  from  May  24,  1689,  to  May  14, 
1692.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Dudley  Bradstreet,  an 
early  minister  of  this  town,  which  gives  an  additional  in- 
terest to  his  name  at  the  present  time.  During  this  period 
another  Charter,  signed  by  William  and  Mary,  on  Octo- 
ber 7,  1691,  and  now  known  as  the  Second  Charter,  be- 
came operative.  Under  this  instrument  the  Colony  was 
made  a  Province,  which  is  a  lower  grade  of  political  ex- 
istence, as  it  has  fewer  privileges  and  more  restrictions  as 
to  the  rights  of  the  people.  From  June,  1684,  when  the 
First  Charter  was  vacated,  till  May,  1692,  when  the  Second 
Charter  went  into  operation,  the  time  is  generally  spoken 
of  as  the  Inter-Charter  period,  and  is  an  exceptional  one 
in  the  history  of  Massachusetts  and  New  England. 

The  first  settlers  of  the  town  came  here  less  than  one 
generation  after  the  Colonial  Charter  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  was  granted  by  Charles  I.  They  represented  a  rugged 
race,  willing  to  undergo  hardships  in  daily  life,  and  ready 
to  meet  dangers  from  any  source.  Under  calamitous  con- 
ditions they  pushed  into  the  wilderness  and  made  their 
homes  in  a  region  little  known  to  the  white  man.  They 
were  a  brave  band,  and  took  their  trials  and  troubles  with 
a  readiness  worthy  of  all  praise.  The  new  township  lay 
on  the  frontiers,  and  all  beyond  was  a  desolate  wild.  It 


124 

stood  on  the  outer  edge  of  civilization,  and  for  a  time 
served  as  a  barrier  against  Indian  attacks  on  the  inlying 
settlements.  The  lot  of  a  frontiersman,  even  under  favor- 
able conditions,  is  never  a  happy  one,  but  at  that  period, 
particularly  when  cut  off  from  neighbors  and  deprived  of 
all  social  and  commercial  intercourse  with  other  towns, 
and  in  an  age  when  newspapers  and  postal  privileges  were 
unknown,  his  lot  was  indeed  hard.  In  after-years  this 
experience  told  on  the  settlers  to  their  credit  and  benefit, 
and  made  the  bold  character  that  cropped  out  in  later 
generations  when  there  was  need  of  such  stuff.  In  their 
make-up  they  had  the  gristle  which  hardened  into  bone. 
The  laws  of  heredity  are  not  well  enough  known  for  us 
to  trace  closely  Cause  and  Effect;  but  the  lives  led  by  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  Colony  had  their  fruitage  in  the  wars 
of  the  next  century.  These  laws  work  in  a  subtle  and 
mysterious  way  and  cannot  be  defined,  but  the  hardships 
of  one  generation  toughen  the  fibre  and  sharpen  the  skill 
of  the  next.  Given  a  strong  body  and  a  high  standard 
of  morality,  and  the  offspring  will  show  the  inherited  traits. 
Every  farmer  in  this  town  knows  that  a  strain  of  blood 
and  breed  will  tell  on  his  domestic  stock.  As  flowers,  by 
a  process  not  revealed  to  us,  select  the  tint  of  delicate 
colors  from  the  swampy  bogs  of  nature,  so  the  toils  of  life 
weave  the  warp  and  the  woof  which  make  up  noble  char- 
acter. "  The  web  of  our  life  is  of  a  mingled  yarn,  good 
and  ill  together."  Heredity  and  environment  when  they 
work  in  harmony  plough  deep  and  send  forth  a  rich 
harvest. 

It  was  once  wittily  said  by  a  writer,  —  so  distinguished 
in  his  day  that  I  hardly  know  whether  to  speak  of  him 
as  a  poet  or  a  physician,  but  whom  all  will  recognize  as 
the  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table,  —  that  a  man's  edu- 
cation begins  a  hundred  years  before  he  is  born.  I  am 
almost  tempted  to  add  that  even  then  he  is  putting  on 
only  the  finishing  touches  of  his  training.  A  man  is  a 
composite  being,  both  in  body  and  soul,  with  a  long  line 
of  ancestry  whose  beginnings  it  is  impossible  to  trace; 


125 

and  every  succeeding  generation  only  helps  to  foster  and 
bind  together  the  various  and  innumerable  qualities  which 
make  up  his  own  personality,  though  they  be  modified 
by  countless  circumstances  that  form  his  later  education, 
and  for  which  he  alone  is  responsible. 

The  first  comers  to  Massachusetts  brought  from  their 
English  homes  a  love  of  personal  freedom  and  liberty. 
For  generations  this  feeling  had  not  been  encouraged  there 
by  the  royal  authorities;  and  its  growth,  hampered  by 
many  obstacles,  had  been  slow.  These  settlers  were  a 
hard-working  set  and  a  God-fearing  people,  and  of  the 
right  stock  to  found  a  nation.  Here  the  new  conditions 
enabled  them  to  give  free  scope  to  their  actions,  and  the 
natural  drift  of  events  was  all  toward  individual  independ- 
ence in  its  widest  sense.  There  was  no  law  against  either 
conventicles  or  non-conformists,  and  for  that  period  of 
time  there  was  great  liberality  of  sentiment  on  the  part 
of  the  Colonists.  For  centuries  the  microbic  atoms  of  in- 
dependence had  been  kept  alive  in  England,  and  from  one 
generation  to  another  they  handed  down  the  germs  which 
developed  in  the  new  world,  and  bore  fruit  in  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution.  From  the  time  of  King  John,  who,  on 
June  15,  1215,  signed  the  Great  Charter  of  the  Liberties 
of  England,  the  recognition  of  human  rights  was  advanc- 
ing in  the  mother  country  slowly  but  steadily;  and  the 
new  settlers  here,  infected  with  similar  ideas,  brought  with 
them  the  spirit  of  these  political  principles.  The  develop- 
ment of  broad  views  was  gradual,  but  on  every  advance 
the  wheels  were  blocked  behind,  and  the  gain  was  held. 
Each  separate  step  thus  taken  led  finally  to  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  which  was  the  crowning  point  of  political 
freedom.  Based  on  this  instrument,  and  following  it  closely 
both  in  spirit  and  in  point  of  time,  was  the  written  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  which  has  served  as  a  model 
for  so  many  different  governments. 

Less  than  one  generation  passed  between  the  time  when 
the  Charter  of  Charles  I  was  given  to  the  Colony  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  and  the  date  when  the  grant  of  Groton 


126 


Plantation  was  made  by  the  General  Court.  The  Charter 
was  given  on  March  4,  1628-9,  and  the  grant  of  the 
town  was  made  in  May,  1655,  —  the  interval  being  a  little 
more  than  twenty-six  years.  At  that  period  scarcely  any- 
thing was  known  about  the  geography  of  the  region,  and 
the  Charter  gave  to  the  Governor  and  other  representa- 
tives of  the  Massachusetts  Company,  on  certain  conditions, 
all  the  territory  lying  between  an  easterly  and  westerly  line 
running  three  miles  north  of  any  part  of  the  Merrimack 
River  and  extending  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Pacific, 
and  a  similar  parallel  line  running  three  miles  south  of 
any  part  of  the  Charles  River.  Without  attempting  to 
trace  in  detail,  from  the  time  of  the  Cabots  to  the  days 
of  the  Charter,  the  continuity  of  the  English  title  to  this 
transcontinental  strip  of  territory,  it  is  enough  to  know 
that  the  precedents  and  usages  of  that  period  gave  to  Great 
Britain,  in  theory  at  least,  undisputed  sway  over  the  re- 
gion, and  forged  every  link  in  the  chain  of  authority  and 
sovereignty. 

At  the  time  of  the  Charter  it  was  incorrectly  supposed 
that  America  was  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  —  perhaps  an 
arm  of  the  continent  of  Asia,  —  and  that  the  distance  across 
from  ocean  to  ocean  was  comparatively  short.  It  was  known 
then  that  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  was  narrow,  and  there- 
fore it  was  supposed  that  the  whole  continent  also  was 
narrow.  New  England  was  a  region  about  which  little 
was  known  beyond  slight  examinations  made  from  the 
coast  line.  The  rivers  were  unexplored,  and  all  knowledge 
concerning  them  was  confined  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
places  where  they  emptied  into  the  sea.  The  early  naviga- 
tors thought  that  the  general  course  of  the  Merrimack  was 
easterly  and  westerly,  as  it  runs  in  that  direction  near  the 
mouth;  and  their  error  was  perpetuated  inferentially  by 
the  words  of  the  Charter.  By  later  explorations  this  strip 
of  territory  has  since  been  lengthened  out  into  a  belt  three 
thousand  miles  long,  and  stretches  across  the  whole  width 
of  a  continent.  The  cities  of  Albany,  Syracuse,  Rochester, 
Buffalo,  Detroit,  and  Milwaukee  all  lie  within  this  zone, 


127 

on  territory  that  once  belonged  to  the  Massachusetts  Com- 
pany, according  to  the  Charter  granted  by  King  Charles. 

The  general  course  of  the  Merrimack,  as  well  as  its 
source,  soon  became  known  to  the  early  settlers  on  the 
coast.  The  northern  boundary  of  the  original  grant  to 
the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay  was  established  under  a 
misapprehension;  and  this  ignorance  of  the  topography  of 
the  country  on  the  part  of  the  English  authorities  afterward 
gave  rise  to  considerable  controversy  between  the  adjoin- 
ing Provinces  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire.  So 
long  as  the  territory  in  question  remained  unsettled,  the 
dispute  was  a  matter  of  little  practical  importance;  but 
after  a  while  it  assumed  grave  proportions  and  led  to  much 
confusion.  Grants  made  by  one  Province  clashed  with 
those  made  by  the  other;  and  there  was  no  ready  tribunal 
to  decide  the  claims  of  the  two  parties.  Towns  were 
chartered  by  Massachusetts  in  territory  claimed  by  New 
Hampshire;  and  this  action  was  the  cause  of  bitter  feel- 
ing and  provoking  legislation.  Massachusetts  contended 
for  the  tract  of  land  "  nominated  in  the  bond,"  which 
would  carry  the  jurisdictional  line  fifty  miles  northward, 
into  the  very  heart  of  New  Hampshire ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  Province  strenuously  opposed  this  view  of  the 
case,  and  claimed  that  the  line  should  run,  east  and  west, 
three  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack  River. 
In  order  to  settle  these  conflicting  claims  a  Royal  Com- 
mission was  appointed  to  consider  the  subject  and  estab- 
lish the  contested  line.  The  Commissioners  were  selected 
from  the  councillors  of  the  Provinces  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Nova  Scotia,  and  Rhode  Island,  —  men  supposed 
to  be  free  from  any  local  prejudices  in  the  matter,  and 
impartial  in  their  feelings;  and  without  doubt  they  were 
such.  The  board,  as  appointed  under  the  Great  Seal,  con- 
sisted of  nineteen  members,  although  only  seven  served  in 
their  capacity  as  Commissioners.  They  met  at  Hampton, 
New  Hampshire,  on  August  i,  1737;  and  for  mutual  con- 
venience the  Legislative  Assemblies  of  the  two  Provinces 
met  in  the  same  neighborhood,  —  the  Assembly  of  New 


128 


Hampshire  at  Hampton  Falls,  and  that  of  Massachusetts 
at  Salisbury,  places  only  five  miles  apart.  This  was  done 
in  order  that  the  claims  of  each  side  might  be  considered 
with  greater  despatch  than  otherwise  they  would  receive. 
The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  met  at  Salisbury,  in 
the  First  Parish  Meeting-house,  on  August  10,  1737,  and 
continued  to  hold  its  sessions  in  that  town  until  October  20, 
inclusive,  though  with  several  adjournments,  of  which  one 
was  for  thirty-five  days.  The  printed  journal  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  during  this  period,  gives  the  proceed- 
ings of  that  body,  which  contain  much  in  regard  to  the 
controversy  besides  the  ordinary  business  of  legislation. 
Many  years  previously  the  two  Provinces  had  been  united 
so  far  as  to  have  the  same  governor,  —  at  this  time  Jona- 
than Belcher,  —  but  each  Province  had  its  own  legislative 
body  and  code  of  laws. 

The  Commissioners  heard  both  sides  of  the  question, 
and  agreed  upon  an  award  in  alternative,  leaving  to  the 
king  the  interpretation  of  the  charters  given  respectively 
by  Charles  I  and  William  and  Mary.  Under  one  inter- 
pretation the  decision  was  in  favor  of  Massachusetts,  and 
under  the  other  in  favor  of  New  Hampshire;  and  at  the 
same  time  each  party  was  allowed  six  weeks  to  file  objec- 
tions. Neither  side,  however,  was  satisfied  with  this  in- 
direct decision;  and  the  whole  matter  was  then  taken  to 
the  king  in  council.  Massachusetts  claimed  that  the  Mer- 
rimack  River  began  at  the  confluence  of  the  Winnepesaukee 
and  the  Pemigewasset  Rivers,  and  that  the  northern  boun- 
dary of  the  Province  should  run,  east  and  west,  three  miles 
north  of  this  point.  On  the  other  hand,  New  Hampshire 
claimed  that  the  intention  of  the  Charter  was  to  establish 
a  northern  boundary  on  a  line,  running  east  and  west, 
three  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimack  River. 
In  this  controversy  Massachusetts  seems  to  have  based  her 
claim  on  the  letter  of  the  contract,  while  New  Hampshire 
based  hers  on  the  spirit  of  the  contract. 

The  strongest  argument  in  favor  of  Massachusetts  was 
the  fact  that  she  had  always  considered  the  disputed  ter- 


129 

ritory  as  belonging  to  her  jurisdiction ;  and  before  this 
period  she  had  chartered  twenty-four  towns  lying  within 
the  limits  of  the  tract.  These  several  settlements  all  looked 
to  her  for  protection,  and  naturally  sympathized  with  her 
during  the  controversy.  As  just  stated,  neither  party  was 
satisfied  with  the  verdict  rendered  by  the  Royal  Commis- 
sioners; and  both  sides  appealed  from  their  judgment. 
The  matter  was  then  taken  to  England  for  a  decision, 
which  was  given  by  the  king,  on  March  4,  1739-40.  His 
judgment  was  final,  and  in  favor  of  New  Hampshire.  It 
gave  to  that  Province  not  only  all  the  territory  in  dispute, 
but  a  strip  of  land  fourteen  miles  in  width  lying  along 
her  southern  border,  —  mostly  west  of  the  Merrimack,  — 
which  she  had  never  claimed.  This  strip  was  the  tract  of 
land  between  the  line  running  east  and  west  three  miles 
north  of  the  southernmost  trend  of  the  river,  and  a  similar 
line  three  miles  north  of  its  mouth.  By  the  decision  many 
townships  were  taken  from  Massachusetts  and  given  to 
New  Hampshire.  The  settlement  of  this  disputed  question 
was  undoubtedly  a  great  public  benefit,  but  at  the  time  it 
caused  a  good  deal  of  hard  feeling.  The  new  line  was 
established  by  surveyors  officially  in  the  spring  of  1741. 

In  regard  to  the  divisional  line  between  the  two  Prov- 
inces lying  east  of  the  Merrimack,  there  was  much  less 
uncertainty,  as,  in  a  general  way,  it  followed  the  bend  of 
the  river,  and  for  that  reason  there  was  much  less  con- 
troversy over  the  jurisdiction.  Many  of  you,  doubtless, 
have  noticed  on  a  map  the  tier  of  towns  which  fringe  the 
north  bank  of  the  Merrimack,  between  the  city  of  Lowell 
and  the  mouth  of  the  river;  and,  perhaps,  you  have  won- 
dered why  those  places,  which  from  a  geographical  point 
of  view  belong  to  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  should 
come  now  within  the  limits  of  Massachusetts.  The  ex- 
planation of  this  seeming  incongruity  goes  back  to  the  date 
of  the  first  Charter,  now  more  than  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  years  ago. 

Thus  far  I  have  given  an  account  of  this  dispute  in 
some  detail,  as  the  town  of  Groton  was  a  party  to  the  con- 

17 


130 

troversy  and  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  result.  It  was 
by  this  decision  of  the  king  that  the  town  lost  all  that 
portion  of  its  territory  which  lies  now  within  the  limits 
of  the  city  of  Nashua ;  but  it  did  not  suffer  nearly  so  much 
as  our  neighbor,  the  town  of  Dunstable,  suffered  by  the 
same  decision.  At  that  time  she  received  a  staggering 
blow,  and  her  loss,  indeed,  was  a  grievous  one.  Originally 
she  was  a  large  township  containing  128,000  acres  of  land, 
situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Merrimack ;  and  she  was  so 
cut  in  two  by  the  running  of  the  new  line  that  by  far  the 
larger  part  of  her  territory  came  within  the  jurisdiction 
of  New  Hampshire.  Even  the  meeting-house  and  the 
burying-ground,  both  so  closely  and  dearly  connected  with 
the  early  life  of  our  people,  were  separated  from  that  por- 
tion of  the  town  still  remaining  in  Massachusetts ;  and  this 
fact  added  not  a  little  to  the  animosity  felt  by  the  inhab- 
itants when  the  disputed  question  was  settled.  It  is  no 
exaggeration  to  say  that  throughout  the  old  township  and 
all  along  the  line  of  the  borders  from  the  Merrimack  to 
the  Connecticut,  the  feelings  and  sympathies  of  the  people 
were  wholly  with  Massachusetts. 

Thus  cut  in  twain,  there  were  two  adjoining  towns  bear- 
ing the  same  name,  the  one  in  Massachusetts,  and  the  other 
in  New  Hampshire;  and  thus  they  remained  for  nearly 
a  century.  This  similarity  of  designation  was  the  source 
of  considerable  confusion  which  lasted  until  the  New 
Hampshire  town,  on  January  i,  1837,  took  the  name  of 
Nashua,  after  the  river  from  which  its  prosperity  largely 
is  derived. 

By  the  same  decision  of  the  king  our  other  adjoining 
neighbor,  Townsend,  —  for  at  that  time  Pepperell  had  not 
as  yet  taken  on  a  separate  municipal  existence,  —  was 
deprived  of  more  than  one  quarter  of  her  territory;  and 
the  present  towns  of  Brookline,  Mason,  and  New  Ipswich 
in  New  Hampshire  are  reaping  now  the  benefit  of  what 
she  then  lost. 

Enough  of  the  original  Groton  Plantation,  however,  was 
left  to  furnish  other  towns  and  parts  of  towns  with  ample 


material  for  their  territory.  On  November  26,  1742,  the 
west  parish  of  Groton  was  set  off  as  a  precinct.  It  com- 
prised all  that  part  of  the  town  lying  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Nashua  River,  north  of  the  old  road  leading  from 
Groton  to  Townsend,  and  now  known  as  Pepperell.  Its 
incorporation  as  a  parish  or  precinct  allowed  the  inhab- 
itants to  manage  their  own  ecclesiastical  affairs,  while  in 
all  other  matters  they  continued  to  act  with  the  parent 
town.  Its  partial  separation  gave  them  the  benefit  of  a 
settled  minister  in  their  neighborhood,  which  in  those  days 
was  considered  of  great  importance. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  to  note  that  in  early  times  the 
main  reason  given  in  the  petitions  for  dividing  towns  was 
the  long  distance  to  the  meeting-house,  by  which  the  in- 
habitants were  prevented  from  hearing  the  stated  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel.  At  the  present  day  I  do  not  think  that 
this  argument  is  ever  urged  by  those  who  favor  the  divi- 
sion of  a  township. 

On  April  12,  1753,  when  the  Act  was  signed  by  the 
Governor,  the  west  parish  of  Groton  was  made  a  district, 
—  the  second  step  toward  its  final  and  complete  separation 
from  the  mother  town.  At  this  period  the  Crown  authori- 
ties were  jealous  of  the  growth  of  the  popular  party  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  for  that  reason  they  frowned 
on  every  attempt  to  increase  the  number  of  its  members. 
This  fact  had  some  connection  with  the  tendency,  which 
began  to  crop  out  during  Governor  Shirley's  administra- 
tion, to  form  districts  instead  of  towns,  thereby  withhold- 
ing their  representation.  At  this  date  the  west  parish, 
under  its  changed  political  conditions,  took  the  name  of 
Pepperrell,  and  was  vested  with  still  broader  powers.  It 
was  so  called  after  Sir  William  Pepperrell,  who  had  suc- 
cessfully commanded  the  New  England  troops  against 
Louisburg;  and  the  name  was  suggested,  doubtless,  by 
the  Reverend  Joseph  Emerson,  the  first  settled  minister 
of  the  parish.  He  had  accompanied  that  famous  expedi- 
tion in  the  capacity  of  chaplain,  only  the  year  before  he 
had  received  a  call  for  his  settlement,  and  the  associations 


132 

with  the  commander  were  fresh  in  his  memory.  The 
hero  of  the  capture  of  Louisburg  always  wrote  his  sur- 
name with  a  double  "  r  " ;  and  for  many  years  the  district 
followed  that  custom,  and  like  him  spelled  the  name  with 
two  "  r  "s,  but  gradually  the  town  dropped  one  of  these 
letters.  It  was  near  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
that  the  present  orthographic  form  of  the  word  became 
general. 

In  the  session  of  the  General  Court  which  met  at  Water- 
town,  on  July  19,  1775,  Pepperell  was  represented  by  a 
member,  and  at  that  time  practically  acquired  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  a  town  without  any  special  act  of  incor- 
poration. Other  similar  districts  were  likewise  represented, 
in  accordance  with  the  precept  calling  that  body  together, 
and  thus  they  obtained  full  municipal  rights  without  the 
usual  formality.  The  precedent  seems  to  have  been  set  by 
the  First  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  which  met 
in  the  autumn  of  1774,  and  was  made  up  of  delegates 
from  the  districts  as  well  as  from  the  towns.  It  was  a 
revolutionary  step  taken  outside  of  the  law;  and  the  in- 
formality led  to  a  general  Act,  passed  on  August  23,  1775, 
which  legalized  the  change. 

Shirley,  unlike  Pepperell,  was  never  incorporated  as  a 
precinct,  but  was  set  off  as  a  district  on  January  5,  1753, 
three  months  before  Pepperell  was  set  off  as  one.  In  the 
Act  of  Incorporation  the  name  was  left  blank,  —  as  it  was 
previously  in  the  case  of  Harvard,  and  soon  afterward  in 
that  of  Pepperell,  —  and  "  Shirley "  was  filled  in  at  the 
time  of  its  engrossment.  It  was  so  named  after  William 
Shirley,  the  Governor  of  the  Province  at  that  period.  It 
never  was  incorporated  specifically  as  a  town,  but  became 
one  by  a  general  Act  of  the  Legislature,  passed  on  August 
23,  1775.  While  a  district  it  was  represented  in  the  ses- 
sion of  the  General  Court  which  met  at  Watertown,  on 
July  19,  1775,  as  well  as  represented  in  the  First  Provin- 
cial Congress  of  Massachusetts,  and  thus  tacitly  acquired 
the  dignity  of  a  town,  which  was  afterward  confirmed  by 
the  Act,  just  mentioned. 


133 

These  two  townships,  Pepperell  and  Shirley,  were  the 
first  settlements  to  swarm  from  the  original  Plantation. 
With  the  benediction  of  the  mother  they  left  the  parent 
hive,  and  on  all  occasions  they  have  proved  to  be  dutiful 
daughters  in  whom  the  old  town  has  always  taken  a  deep 
pride.  In  former  years,  before  the  days  of  railroads,  these 
two  towns  were  closely  identified  with  Groton,  and  the 
social  intercourse  between  them  was  very  intimate.  If  the 
families  of  the  three  towns  were  not  akin  to  one  another, 
in  a  certain  sense  they  were  neighbors. 

The  latest  legislation  connected  with  the  dismemberment 
of  the  original  grant,  —  and  perhaps  the  last  for  many 
years  to  come,  —  is  the  Act  of  February  14,  1871,  by  which 
the  town  of  Ayer  was  incorporated.  This  enactment  took 
from  Groton  a  large  section  of  territory  lying  near  its 
southern  borders,  and  from  Shirley  all  that  part  of  the 
town  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Nashua  River  which  was 
annexed  to  it  from  Groton,  on  February  6,  1798. 

Thus  has  the  old  Groton  Plantation,  during  a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  been  hewn  and  hacked  down 
to  less  than  one  half  of  its  original  dimensions.  Formerly 
it  contained  40,960  acres,  while  now  the  amount  of  taxable 
land  within  the  town  is  19,850  acres.  It  has  furnished, 
substantially,  the  entire  territory  of  Pepperell,  Shirley,  and 
Ayer,  more  than  one  half  of  Dunstable,  and  has  contributed 
more  or  less  to  form  five  other  towns,  —  namely,  Harvard, 
Littleton,  and  Westford,  in  Massachusetts,  besides  Nashua 
and  Hollis,  in  New  Hampshire. 

The  early  settlers  of  Groton,  like  all  other  persons  of  that 
period  of  time  or  of  any  period,  had  their  limitations. 
They  were  lovers  of  political  freedom,  and  they  gave  the 
largest  liberty  to  all,  —  so  far  as  it  related  to  their  physical 
condition;  but  in  matters  of  religious  belief  it  was  quite 
otherwise.  With  them  it  was  an  accepted  tradition,  —  per- 
haps with  us  not  entirely  outgrown,  —  that  persons  who 
held  a  different  faith  from  themselves  were  likely  to  have 
a  lower  standard  of  morality.  They  saw  things  by  a  dim 
light,  they  saw  "  through  a  glass  darkly."  They  beheld 


134 

theological  objects  by  the  help  of  dipped  candles,  and  they 
interpreted  religion  and  its  relations  to  life  accordingly. 
They  viewed  all  ecclesiastical  matters  through  chinks,  while 
we  who  live  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  later  can  bring  to 
our  aid  the  electric  light  of  science  and  modern  discovery. 
We  have  a  great  advantage  over  what  they  had,  and  let 
us  use  it  fairly.  Let  us  be  just  to  them,  as  we  hope  for 
justice  from  those  who  will  follow  us.  Let  us  remember 
that  the  standards  of  daily  life  change  from  one  century 
to  another.  Perhaps  in  future  generations,  when  we  are 
judged,  the  verdict  of  posterity  will  be  against  us  rather 
than  against  the  early  comers.  More  has  been  given  to  us 
than  was  given  to  them,  and  we  shall  be  held  answerable 
in  a  correspondingly  larger  measure.  It  is  not  the  number 
of  talents  with  which  we  have  been  entrusted  that  will  tell 
in  our  favor,  but  the  sacred  use  we  make  of  them.  In 
deciding  this  question,  two  centuries  and  a  half  hence,  I 
am  by  no  means  sure  of  the  judgment  that  history  will 
render.  Do  we  as  a  nation  give  all  men  a  square  deal? 
The  author  of  the  Golden  Rule  was  color-blind,  and  in  its 
application  he  made  no  difference  between  the  various  races 
of  mankind.  This  rule  applied  to  the  black  man  equally 
with  the  white  man.  Do  we  now  give  our  African  brother 
a  fair  chance?  It  is  enough  for  us  to  try  to  do  right,  and 
let  the  consequences  be  what  they  will.  "  Hew  up  to  the 
chalk  line,  and  let  the  chips  fly  where  they  may,"  once  said 
Wendell  Phillips.  We  hear  much  nowadays  about  the 
simple  life,  but  that  was  the  life  lived  by  the  settlers,  and 
taught  to  their  children,  both  by  precept  and  example. 
Austere  in  their  belief,  they  practised  those  homely  virtues 
which  lie  at  the  base  of  all  civilization;  and  we  of  to-day 
owe  much  to  their  memory.  They  prayed  for  the  wisdom 
that  cometh  from  above,  and  for  the  righteousness  that 
exalteth  a  nation;  and  they  tried  to  square  their  conduct 
by  their  creed. 

The  early  settlers  were  a  plain  folk,  and  they  knew  little 
of  the  pride  and  pomposity  of  later  times.  To  sum  up 
briefly  their  social  qualities,  I  should  say  that  they  were 


135 

neighborly  to  a  superlative  degree,  which  means  much  in 
country  life.  They  looked  after  the  welfare  of  their 
neighbors  who  were  not  so  well  off  in  this  world's  goods 
as  they  themselves,  they  watched  with  them  when  they 
were  sick,  and  sympathized  with  them  when  death  came 
into  their  families.  In  cold  weather  they  hauled  wood  for 
the  widows,  and  cut  it  up  and  split  it  for  them;  and  when 
a  beef  "  crittur  "  or  a  hog  was  killed,  no  one  went  hungry. 
When  a  man  met  with  an  accident  and  had  a  leg  broken, 
the  neighbors  saw  that  his  crops  were  gathered,  and  that 
all  needful  work  was  done;  and  after  a  heavy  snow-storm 
in  winter,  they  turned  to  and  broke  out  the  roads  and  pri- 
vate ways  with  sleds  drawn  by  many  yoke  of  oxen  be- 
longing in  the  district.  Happily  all  this  order  of  things  is 
not  yet  a  lost  art,  but  in  former  times  the  custom  was  more 
thoroughly  observed,  and  spread  over  a  much  wider  region 
than  now  prevails.  When  help  was  needed  in  private  house- 
holds, they  never  asked,  like  the  lawyer  of  old,  "  And  who  is 
my  neighbor  ?  "  They  always  stretched  out  their  hands  to 
the  poor,  and  they  reached  forth  their  hands  to  the  needy. 

To  us  it  seems  almost  pathetic,  certainly  amusing,  to  see 
how  closely  they  connected  their  daily  life  with  the  affairs 
of  the  church.  As  a  specimen  I  will  give  an  instance 
found  in  the  note-book  of  the  Reverend  John  Fiske,  of 
Chelmsford.  He  records  that  James  Parker,  James  Fiske, 
and  John  Nutting  wished  to  remove  from  Chelmsford  and 
take  up  their  abode  in  this  town.  The  subject  of  their 
removal  was  brought  before  the  church  there  in  the  autumn 
of  1661,  when  they  desired  the  "loving  leave"  of  their 
brethren  so  to  do,  as  well  as  prayers  that  the  blessing  of 
God  might  accompany  them  to  their  new  homes.  The 
meeting  was  held  on  November  9,  1661,  when  some  dis- 
cussion took  place  and  considerable  feeling  was  shown. 
Mr.  Fiske,  the  pastor,  shrewdly  declined  to  commit  himself 
in  the  matter;  or,  according  to  the  record,  declined  to 
speak  on  the  question  "  one  way  or  the  other,  but  desired 
that  the  brethren  might  manifest  themselves."  At  the 
conference  one  brother  said  that  there  was  no  necessity  for 


136 

the  removal,  and  hoped  that  the  three  members  would  give 
up  their  intention  to  remove,  and  would  remain  in  Chelms- 
ford.  Reading  between  the  lines  it  seems  as  if  this  town 
had  invited  the  three  men  to  settle  here;  and  Brother 
Parker  speaking  for  them  ("in  the  plural  number")  said 
that  God's  hand  was  to  be  seen  in  the  whole  movement. 
The  same  hand  which  brought  them  to  Chelmsford  now 
pointed  to  Groton.  Apparently  the  meeting  was  a  pro- 
tracted one,  and  "  scarce  a  man  in  the  Church  but  pres- 
ently said  the  grounds,  the  grounds."  This  was  another 
form  of  calling  for  the  question,  —  in  other  words,  for  the 
reasons  of  the  removal,  whether  valid  or  not.  While  the 
decision  of  the  conference  is  not  given  in  exact  language, 
inf erentially  it  was  in  favor  of  their  going,  —  as  they  were 
here  in  December,  1662.  James  Parker  was  a  deacon  of 
the  Chelmsford  church;  and  perhaps  there  had  been  some 
slight  disagreement  between  him  and  a  few  of  the  other 
members.  Evidently  he  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  body 
at  Chelmsford ;  and  at  once  he  became  a  deacon  at  Groton. 
To  us  now  it  is  amusing  to  see  what  a  commotion  in  the 
church  was  raised  because  these  three  families  purposed 
to  remove  to  another  town.  "  Behold,  how  great  a  matter 
a  little  fire  kindleth."  Fortunately  for  this  town  James 
Parker,  James  Fiske,  and  John  Nutting  with  their  house- 
holds came  hither  to  live,  where  they  all  became  useful  and 
influential  citizens  far  above  the  average.  In  his  day  James 
Parker  was  the  most  prominent  man  in  Groton,  filling 
many  civil  and  military  positions;  the  next  year  after 
coming  James  Fiske  was  chosen  selectman,  and  later  town- 
clerk;  and  John  Nutting  was  appointed  surveyor  of  high- 
ways. There  are  in  this  audience,  doubtless,  at  the  present 
moment  many  descendants  of  these  three  pioneers  who  had 
so  many  obstacles  thrown  in  their  way  before  taking  up 
their  abode  here.  If  these  families  had  not  removed  hither 
at  that  early  period,  perhaps  their  descendants  now  would 
be  celebrating  anniversaries  elsewhere  rather  than  here,  and 
might  never  have  known  what  they  lost  by  the  change  in 
their  respective  birthplaces.  Without  being  able  to  call 
them  by  name  or  to  identify  them  in  any  way,  to  all  such 


137 

I  offer  the  greetings  of  this  gathering  on  the  good  judg- 
ment shown  by  their  ancestors. 

This  town  took  its  name  from  Groton,  Co.  Suffolk, 
England,  which  was  the  native  place  of  Deane  Winthrop, 
one  of  the  original  petitioners  for  Groton  Plantation.  His 
name  stands  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  selectmen  appointed 
in  1655  by  the  General  Court;  and  to-day  we  should  give 
him  the  title  of  Chairman  of  the  Board.  He  was  a  son 
of  John  Winthrop  who  came  to  New  England  in  1630  as 
Governor  of  Massachusetts;  and  it  was  in  compliment  to 
him  that  the  name  of  his  birthplace  was  given  to  the  town. 
Without  much  doubt  he  was  a  resident  here  for  a  few 
years;  and  in  this  opinion  I  am  supported  by  a  distin- 
guished member  of  that  family,  now  deceased,  who  some 
time  ago  wrote  me  as  follows: 

BOSTON,  27  February,  1878. 

MY  DEAR  DR.  GREEN,  —  It  would  give  me  real  pleasure  to 
aid  you  in  establishing  the  relations  of  Deane  Winthrop  to  the 
Town  of  Groton  in  Massachusetts.  But  there  are  only  three 
or  four  letters  of  Deane's  among  the  family  papers  in  my  pos- 
session, and  not  one  of  them  is  dated  Groton.  Nor  can  I  find 
in  any  of  the  family  papers  a  distinct  reference  to  his  resi- 
dence there. 

There  are,  however,  two  brief  notes  of  his,  both  dated  "  the 
16  of  December,  1662,"  which  I  cannot  help  thinking  may  have 
been  written  at  Groton.  One  of  them  is  addressed  to  his 
brother  John,  the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  who  was  then  in 
London,  on  business  connected  with  the  Charter  of  Connecti- 
cut. In  this  note  Deane  says  as  follows :  — 

"  I  have  some  thoughts  of  removing  from  the  place  that  I 
now  live  in,  into  your  Colony,  if  I  could  lit  of  a  convenient 
place.  The  place  that  I  now  live  in  is  too  little  for  me,  my 
children  now  growing  up." 

We  know  that  Deane  Winthrop  was  at  the  head  of  the  first 
Board  of  Selectmen  of  Groton  a  few  years  earlier,  and  that 
he  went  to  reside  at  Pullen  Point,  now  called  Winthrop,  not 
many  years  after. 

I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think  with  you  that  this  note  of 
December,  1662,  was  written  at  Groton. 

Yours  very  truly, 

SAMUEL  A.  GREEN,  M.D.  ROBT.   C.   WlNTHROP. 

18 


138 

During  my  boyhood  I  always  Had  a  strong  desire  to  visit 
Groton  in  England,  which  gave  its  name  to  this  town  and 
indirectly  to  six  other  towns  in  the  United  States.  Strictly 
speaking,  it  is  not  a  town,  but  a  parish;  and  there  are 
technical  distinctions  between  the  two.  More  than  fifty 
years  ago  I  was  staying  in  London,  and  as  a  stranger  in 
that  great  metropolis,  even  after  many  inquiries  I  found 
much  difficulty  in  learning  the  best  way  to  reach  the  little 
village.  All  my  previous  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  place 
was  limited  to  the  fact  that  it  lay  in  the  county  of  Suf- 
folk, near  its  southern  border.  After  a  somewhat  close 
study  of  a  Railway  Guide,  I  left  London  in  the  month  of 
October,  1854,  for  Sudbury,  which  is  the  only  town  of 
considerable  size  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Groton. 
After  changing  trains  at  a  railway  junction,  of  which  the 
name  has  long  since  faded  from  my  memory,  I  found 
myself  in  a  carriage  alone  with  a  fellow-passenger,  who 
was  both  courteous  and  communicative,  and  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  country  through  which  we  were  passing. 
On  telling  him  the  purpose  of  my  visit,  he  seemed  to  be 
much  interested,  and  told  me  in  return  that  he  was  very 
familiar  with  the  parish  of  Groton;  and  he  had  many 
questions  to  ask  about  our  good  old  town,  which  I  was 
both  able  and  glad  to  answer.  It  soon  turned  out  that 
my  hitherto  unknown  friend  was  Sir  Henry  E.  Austen, 
of  Chelsworth,  Hadleigh,  who,  on  reaching  Sudbury,  gave 
me  a  note  of  introduction  to  Richard  Almack,  Esq.,  of 
Long  Mel  ford,  which  I  used  a  day  or  two  afterward  with 
excellent  results.  From  Sudbury  I  drove  in  a  dog-cart  to 
Boxford,  where  I  tarried  over  night  at  the  White  Horse 
Inn,  and  in  the  morning  walked  over  to  Groton,  less  than 
a  mile  distant.  This  place  —  the  object  of  my  pilgrimage 
—  I  found  to  be  a  typical  English  village  of  the  olden  time, 
very  small  both  in  territory  and  population,  and  utterly 
unlike  any  of  its  American  namesakes.  Its  history  goes 
back  many  generations,  even  to  a  period  before  Domes- 
day Book,  which  was  ordered  by  William  the  Conqueror 
more  than  eight  hundred  years  ago,  and  which  registers 


139 

a  survey  of  lands  in  .England  made  at  that  early  date. 
The  text  is  in  Latin,  and  the  words  are  much  shortened 
by  various  contractions.  The  writing  is  peculiar  and  hard 
to  read;  but  it  gives  some  interesting  statistics  in  regard 
to  the  place. 

On  reaching  the  end  of  my  trip  I  called  at  once  on  the 
rector,  who  received  me  very  kindly  and  offered  to  go  with 
me  to  the  church,  which  invitation  I  readily  accepted.     He 
expressed  much  interest  in  the  New  England  towns  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Groton,  and  spoke  of  a  visit  made  to  the 
English  town,  a  few  years  previously,  by  the  Honorable 
Robert   C.   Winthrop,   of   Boston,   which   gave   him   great 
pleasure.     We  walked  over  the  grounds  of  the  old  manor, 
once  belonging  to  John  Winthrop,  first  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts ;  and  Groton  Place,  the  residence  of  the  lord  of  the 
manor  at  that  time,  was  pointed  out,  as  well  as  a  solitary 
mulberry-tree,  which  stood  in  Winthrop' s  garden,  and  is 
now  the  last  vestige  of  the  spot.     In  strolling  over  the 
grounds   I   picked  up  some  acorns   under   an   oak,   which 
were  afterward  sent  home  to  my  father  and  planted  here, 
but  unfortunately  they  did  not  come  up.     I  remember  with 
special  pleasure  the  attentions  of  Mr.  R.   F.   Swan,  post- 
master at  Box  ford,  who  took  me  to  a  small  school  of  little 
children  in  that  parish,  where  the  teacher  told  the  scholars 
that   I  had  come   from  another  Groton   across   the  broad 
ocean.     He  also  kindly  made  for  me  a  rough  tracing  of 
the  part  of  the  parish  in  which  I  was  more  particularly 
interested;    and  as  I  had  left  the  inn  at  Boxford  when  he 
called,  he  sent  it  by  private  hands  to  me  at  the  Sudbury 
railway  station.     All  these  little  courtesies  and  many  more 
I  recollect  with  great  distinctness,  and  they  add  much  to 
the  pleasant  memories  of  my  visit  to  the  ancestral  town, 
which  has  such  a  numerous  progeny  of  municipal  descend- 
ants in  the  United  States. 

Of  this  large  family  our  town,  now  celebrating  the  two 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  its  birth,  is  the  eldest; 
and  as  the  "  first-born,  higher  than  the  kings  of  the 
earth." 


140 

The  next  child  in  the  order  of  descent  is  the  town  in 
Connecticut,  —  younger  than  this  town  by  just  half  a  cen- 
tury, and  during  the  Revolution  the  scene  of  the  heroic 
Ledyard's  death.  It  was  so  named  in  the  year  1705,  dur- 
ing the  Governorship  of  Fitz-John  Winthrop,  out  of  re- 
spect to  the  Suffolk  home  of  the  family.  In  population 
this  is  the  largest  of  the  various  towns  bearing  the  name, 
and  contains  several  thriving  villages.  It  is  situated  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Thames  River,  in  New  London  County. 

The  next  town  in  age  is  the  one  in  Grafton  County, 
New  Hampshire,  which  was  originally  granted  by  the 
Legislature  of  that  State  as  early  as  July  3,  1761,  under 
the  name  of  Cockermouth,  and  re-granted  on  November  22, 
1766;  but  the  present  name  of  Groton  was  not  given  until 
December  7,  1796.  It  was  chosen  by  certain  inhabitants 
of  the  place,  who  were  connected  either  by  birth  or  through 
kindred  with  this  town.  The  population  is  small,  and  the 
principal  pursuit  of  the  people  is  farming,  though  there  are 
eight  or  ten  sawmills  within  its  limits.  Mica  is  found  in 
great  abundance,  and  forms  the  basis  of  an  important  in- 
dustry. There  is  a  Spectacle  Pond,  lying  partly  within  the 
town,  of  which  the  name  may  have  gone  from  this  neigh- 
borhood. There  are  two  villages  in  the  township,  the  one 
known  as  North  Groton,  perhaps  the  more  important,  and 
the  other  situated  near  the  southerly  border,  and  known 
as  Groton.  Between  these  two  villages,  in  the  centre  of 
the  territory,  are  the  town-house,  and  an  old  burying- 
ground  where  fifteen  years  ago  I  examined  many  of  the 
epitaphs  and  found  a  few  family  names  that  are  still 
common  here  in  our  Old  Burying-ground. 

The  fourth  child  in  the  municipal  family  is  the  town 
of  Groton,  Caledonia  County,  Vermont,  a  pretty  village 
lying  in  the  Wells  River  valley,  and  chartered  on  Octo- 
ber 20,  1789,  though  the  earliest  settlers  were  living  there 
a  few  years  before  that  date.  The  first  child  born  in  the 
town  was  Sally,  daughter  of  Captain  Edmund  and  Sally 
(Wesson)  Morse,  who  began  her  earthly  pilgrimage  on 
September  2,  1787.  The  father  was  a  native  of  our  town, 


141 

and  principally  through  his  influence  the  name  of  Groton 
was  given  to  the  home  of  his  adoption  among  the  foot-hills 
of  the  Green  Mountains.  Wells  River  runs  through  the 
township  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  and  with  its  tributaries 
affords  some  excellent  water-power  along  its  course.  This 
stream  rises  in  Groton  Pond,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water, 
and  empties  into  the  Connecticut  at  Wells  River  Junction, 
a  railway  centre  of  some  importance. 

My  visit  to  the  town  was  made  on'  July  26,  1890,  and 
while  there  I  called  on  the  Honorable  Isaac  Newton  Hall, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  citizens  of  the  place, 
who  kindly  took  me  in  his  buggy  through  the  village,  point- 
ing out  on  the  way  the  various  objects  of  public  interest. 
Mr.  Hall,  to  whom  I  was  under  great  obligations,  died  in 
Chicago,  while  there  on  a  visit,  November  30,  1893,  aged 
85  years  and  6  months.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
situated  at  one  end  of  the  village  street,  had  some  memo- 
rial windows,  of  which  two  had  inscriptions,  as  follows :  — 

Capt  •  Edmund  •  Morse 

Born  •  Groton  •  Mass  •  1764 

Died  •  Groton  •  Vt  •  1843 


Sally  •  Morse  •  Hill 

Born  •  1787  —  Died  •  1864 

The  •  First  •  Person  •  Born  •  in  •  Groton 

Before  leaving  the  place  I  walked  through  the  bury  ing- 
ground  and  examined  some  of  the  epitaphs,  but  none  of  the 
names  reminded  me  particularly  of  the  parent  town. 

The  next  town  of  the  name  is  Groton,  Erie  County,  Ohio, 
which  was  settled  about  the  year  1809.  It  was  first  called 
Wheatsborough,  after  a  Mr.  Wheats,  who  originally  owned 
most  of  the  township.  It  lies  in  the  region  known  as  the 
Fire  Lands  of  Ohio,  a  tract  of  half  a  million  acres  given  by 
the  State  of  Connecticut  in  May,  1792,  to  those  of  her 
citizens  who  had  suffered  losses  from  the  enemy  during 
the  Revolution.  Like  many  other  places  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, the  town  took  its  name  from  the  one  in  Connecticut. 


142 

Late  in  the  autumn  of  1889  I  happened  to  be  in  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  as  a  member  of  a  committee  on  business 
connected  with  the  Peabody  Normal  College  in  that  city, 
of  which  ex-President  Hayes  was  chairman.  On  telling 
him  incidentally  that  on  my  return  homeward  I  purposed 
to  tarry  for  a  day  or  two  at  Groton,  Erie  County,  Ohio,  he 
kindly  invited  me  to  make  him  a  visit  at  his  home  in 
Fremont,  which  was  very  near  my  objective  point;  and 
he  said  furthermore  that  he  would  accompany  me  on  my 
trip  to  that  town,  which  offer  I  readily  accepted.  On  the 
morning  of  November  27  we  left  Fremont  by  rail  for- 
Norwalk,  the  shire  town  of  Huron  County,  —  a  county 
in  which  the  township  of  Groton  formerly  came,  —  where 
we  alighted,  and  at  once  repaired  to  the  rooms  of  the 
Firelands  Historical  Society.  Here  we  were  met  by  sev- 
eral gentlemen,  prominent  in  the  city  as  well  as  in  the 
Historical  Society,  who  showed  us  many  attentions.  We 
had  an  opportunity  there  to  examine  various  objects  of 
interest  connected  with  the  early  history  of  that  part  of 
the  State.  Then  taking  the  cars  again  on  our  return,  we 
proceeded  as  far  as  Bellevue,  where  we  left  the  train. 
Here  at  a  livery-stable  we  engaged  a  buggy  and  a  pair  of 
horses,  without  knowing  exactly  to  what  part  of  the  town- 
ship I  wished  to  go,  as  I  was  then  told  that  there  was  no 
village  of  Groton,  but  only  scattered  farms  throughout  the 
town.  One  man,  however,  said  that  there  was  a  place 
called  Groton  Centre,  which  name  seemed  to  me  very 
familiar,  and  so  thither  we  directed  our  course.  After 
driving  over  muddy  roads  for  five  or  six  miles,  we  inquired 
at  a  farm-house  the  way  to  Groton  Centre,  where  we  were 
told  that  a  school-house  in  sight,  half  a  mile  off,  was  the 
desired  place.  There  was  no  village  whatever  to  be  seen 
in  any  direction;  and  the  building  was  the  public  voting- 
place,  on  which  account  the  neighborhood  received  the 
name.  The  town  is  entirely  agricultural  in  its  character, 
and  the  land  is  largely  prairie  with  a  rich  soil.  It  is  small 
in  population,  and  does  not  contain  even  a  post-office.  The 
inhabitants  for  their  postal  facilities  depend  on  Bellevue 


143 

and  Sandusky,  adjacent  places.  I  was  told  that  its  early 
settlers  came  largely  from  Connecticut  and  Pennsylvania; 
and  I  thought  that  I  could  detect  the  origin  of  some  of 
them  by  the  different  styles  of  construction  as  seen  in  their 
houses  and  barns  still  standing,  whether  they  came  from 
the  one  or  the  other  of  the  two  States. 

Another  town  bearing  the  good  name  of  Groton,  which 
I  have  visited,  is  the  one  in  Tompkins  County,  New  York. 
More  than  eighteen  years  ago  I  found  myself  at  Cortland, 
Cortland  County,  New  York,  where  I  had  gone  in  order 
to  see  the  venerable  Mrs.  Sarah  Chaplin  Rockwood,  a  na- 
tive of  this  town.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Chaplin,  the  last  minister  settled  by  the  town,  and  at 
that  time  she  was  almost  one  hundred  and  two  years  old. 
By  a  coincidence  she  was  then  living  on  Groton  Avenue, 
a  thoroughfare  which  leads  to  Groton,  Tompkins  County, 
a  town  ten  miles  distant.  Taking  advantage  of  my  near- 
ness to  that  place,  on  May  4,  1887,  I  drove  there  and  was 
set  down  at  the  Groton  Hotel,  where  I  passed  the  night. 
Soon  after  my  arrival  I  took  a  stroll  through  the  village, 
and  then  called  on  Marvin  Morse  Baldwin,  Esq.,  a  lawyer 
of  prominence,  and  the  author  of  an  historical  sketch  of 
the  place,  published  in  1868,  but  who  is  now  deceased. 
The  town  was  formed  originally,  on  April  7,  1817,  from 
Locke,  Cayuga  County,  under  the  name  of  Division;  but 
during  the  next  year  this  was  changed  to  Groton,  on  the 
petition  of  the  inhabitants,  some  of  whom  were  from 
Groton,  Massachusetts,  and  others  from  Groton,  Connecti- 
cut. The  principal  village  is  situated  on  Owasco  Inlet, 
a  small  stream,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  rolling  country  of 
great  beauty.  The  population  is  small,  and  the  business 
chiefly  confined  to  a  machine-shop  and  foundry,  several 
carriage-shops,  and  the  making  of  agricultural  implements. 
The  town  supports  a  National  Bank  and  also  a  weekly 
newspaper,  and  has  railway  communication  with  other 
places. 

In  all  these  visits  to  the  several  towns  of  the  same  name, 
I  have  interested  myself  to  learn  the  local  pronunciation 


144 

of  the  word.  I  have  asked  many  persons  in  all  ranks  of 
life  and  grades  of  society  in  regard  to  the  matter,  and 
without  exception  they  have  given  it  "  Graw-ton,"  which 
every  "  native  here,  and  to  the  manner  born "  knows  so 
well  how  to  pronounce.  It  has  never  been  Grow-ton,  or 
Grot-ton  even,  but  always  with  a  broad  sound  on  the  first 
and  accented  syllable.  Such  was  the  old  pronunciation  in 
England,  and  by  the  continuity  of  custom  and  tradition 
the  same  has  been  kept  up  throughout  the  various  settle- 
ments in  this  country  bearing  the  name. 

The  latest  town  aspiring  to  the  honor  of  the  name  of 
Groton  is  in  Brown  County,  South  •  Dakota.  It  was  laid 
out  about  twenty-two  years  ago  on  land  owned  by  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railway  Company.  I 
have  been  informed  that  various  New  England  names  were 
selected  by  the  Company  and  given  to  different  townships 
along  the  line,  not  for  personal  or  individual  reasons,  but 
because  they  were  short  and  well  sounding,  and  unlike 
any  others  in  the  Territory  of  that  period. 

At  some  future  day,  if  my  life  be  spared  long  enough, 
I  may  pay  my  respects  to  this  youngest  child  of  the  name 
and  visit  her  township.  In  that  case  I  will  describe  her 
personality  and  place  her  in  the  family  group  with  her 
elder  sisters. 

During  two  centuries  and  a  half  —  the  long  period  of 
time  now  under  consideration  —  many  changes  have  taken 
place  in  the  customs  and  manners  of  our  people.  Some  of 
these  are  entirely  forgotten,  and  traces  of  them  are  found 
only  in  the  records  of  the  past;  and  I  purpose  to  allude 
to  a  few.  In  this  way  a  survival  of  their  knowledge  may 
be  kept  up,  which  will  help  the  present  generation  in  some 
degree  to  catch  the  attitude  of  its  ancestors. 

In  the  early  days  of  New  England  marriages  were  per- 
formed by  magistrates  only,  or  by  other  officers  appointed 
for  that  particular  purpose.  It  was  many  years  before 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  were  allowed  to  take  part  in  the 
ceremony.  At  a  town  meeting  held  here,  on  December  15, 
1669,  the  selectmen  were  authorized  "  to  petition  to  the 


145 

[General]  Court  for  one  to  marry  persons  in  our  towne  " ; 
and  it  is  probable  that  before  this  time  persons  wishing  to 
be  joined  in  wedlock  were  obliged  either  to  go  elsewhere 
in  order  to  carry  out  their  intention,  or  else  a  magistrate 
or  other  officer  was  brought  for  the  occasion.  At  that 
period  the  population  of  the  town  was  small,  and  the  mar- 
riages were  few  in  number;  and  before  this  date  only 
eight  couples  are  found  as  recorded  of  Groton.  Perhaps 
these  marriages  were  solemnized  by  a  Commissioner  of 
Small  Causes,  who  was  authorized  equally  with  a  magis- 
trate to  conduct  the  ceremony.  These  officers  were  em- 
powered to  act  in  all  cases  within  the  jurisdiction  of  a 
magistrate,  and  were  approved,  either  by  the  Court  of 
Assistants  or  by  the  County  Courts,  on  the  request  of  any 
town  where  there  was  no  resident  magistrate.  They  were 
three  in  number  in  each  of  such  towns,  and  were  chosen 
by  the  freemen. 

Another  instance  of  a  change  in  early  customs  is  found 
in  connection  with  funerals,  which  formerly  were  conducted 
with  severe  simplicity.  Our  pious  forefathers  were  opposed 
to  all  ecclesiastical  rites,  and  any  custom  that  reminded 
them  of  the  English  church  met  with  their  stern  disap- 
proval. And,  furthermore,  prayers  over  a  corpse  were 
very  suggestive  of  those  offered  up  for  the  dead  by  the 
Roman  church ;  and  to  their  minds  such  ceremonies  savored 
strongly  of  heresy  and  superstition.  A  body  was  taken 
from  the  house  to  the  grave,  and  interred  without  cere- 
mony ;  and  no  religious  services  were  held.  Funeral  prayers 
in  New  England  were  first  made  in  the  smaller  towns  be- 
fore they  were  in  the  larger  places,  though  Chief-Justice 
Sewall,  in  his  Diary  (i.  93),  under  date  of  August  19,  1685, 
gives  an  early  instance  which  happened  at  Roxbury.  In 
describing  the  services  he  says  that  "  Mr.  Wilson  prayed 
with  the  Company  before  they  went  to  the  Grave."  Their 
introduction  into  Boston  was  of  so  uncommon  occurrence 
that  it  caused  some  comment  in  a  newspaper,  as  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  "  The  Boston  Weekly  News-Letter,"  De- 
cember 31,  1730,  will  show:  — 

'9 


146 

Yesterday  were  Buried  here  the  Remains  of  that  truly 
honourable  &  devout  Gentlewoman,  Mrs.  SARAH  BYFIELD, 
amidst  the  affectionate  Respects  &  Lamentations  of  a  numer- 
ous Concourse.  —  Before  carrying  out  the  Corpse,  a  Funeral 
Prayer  was  made,  by  one  of  the  Pastors  of  the  Old  Church, 
to  whose  Communion  she  belong'd ;  which,  tho'  a  Custom  in 
the  Country-Towns,  is  a  singular  Instance  in  this  place,  but 
it's  wish'd  may  prove  a  leading  Example  to  the  general  Prac- 
tice of  so  Christian  &  decent  a  Custom. 

At  a  funeral  the  coffin  was  carried  upon  a  bier  to  the 
place  of  interment  by  pall-bearers,  who  from  time  to  time 
were  relieved  by  others  walking  at  their  side.  The  bearers 
usually  were  kinsfolk  or  intimate  friends  of  the  deceased; 
and  they  were  followed  by  the  mourners  and  neighbors, 
who  walked  two  by  two.  After  the  burial  the  bier  was  left 
standing  over  the  grave  ready  for  use  when  occasion  should 
again  require. 

Many  years  ago  an  old  citizen  of  this  town  told  me  that 
once  he  served  as  a  pall-bearer  at  the  funeral  of  a  friend 
who  died  in  Squannacook  Village  (West  Groton).  It  took 
place  near  midsummer,  in  very  hot  weather;  and  he  re- 
lated how  the  procession  was  obliged  to  halt  often  in  order 
to  give  a  rest  to  the  bearers,  who  during  their  long  march 
were  nearly  prostrated  by  the  heat. 

Hearses  were  first  introduced  into  Boston  about  1796, 
and  into  Groton  a  few  years  later.  In  the  warrant  for  the 
Groton  town-meeting  on  April  4,  1803,  Article  No.  7  was 

To  see  if  the  town  will  provide  a  herse  for  the  town's  use, 
and  give  such  directions  about  the  same  as  they  shall  think  fit. 

In  the  Proceedings  of  that  meeting,  after  Article  No.  7, 
it  is  recorded :  — 

Voted  that  the  town  will  provide  a  herse  for  the  Town's 
use. 

Voted  and  chose  James  Brazer,  Esqr  Jacob  L.  Parker,  and 
Joseph  Sawtell  3?  a  Committee  and  directed  them  to  provide 
a  decent  herse  at  the  Town's  expence. 


147 

From  the  earliest  period  of  our  Colonial  history  training- 
days  were  appointed  by  the  General  Court  for  the  drilling 
of  soldiers;  and  at  intervals  the  companies  used  to  come 
together  as  a  regiment  and  practise  various  military  exer- 
cises. From  this  custom  sprang  the  regimental  muster,  so 
common  before  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

During  a  long  time,  and  particularly  in  the  early  part 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  many  such  musters  were  held 
here.  A  training-field  often  used  for  the  purpose  was  the 
plain,  situated  near  the  Hollingsworth  Paper-mills,  a  mile 
and  a  half  northerly  from  the  village.  Sometimes  they 
were  held  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  road,  and  at  other 
times  on  the  westerly  side.  During  my  boyhood  musters 
took  place,  twice  certainly,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  hill 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Broad  Meadow  Road  near  Far- 
mers' Row;  and  also,  once  certainly,  in  the  field  lying 
southeast  of  Lawrence  Academy,  near  where  Powder  House 
Road  now  runs. 

Musters  have  been  held  on  land  back  of  the  late  Charles 
Jacobs's  house,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1850,  in  a  field  near 
the  dwelling  where  Benjamin  Moors  used  to  live,  close  by 
James's  Brook,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town.  The  last 
one  in  Groton,  or  the  neighborhood  even,  took  place  on 
September  13  and  14,  1852,  and  was  held  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  near  the  line  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  on  its 
northerly  side,  some  distance  east  of  the  station.  This 
was  a  muster  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  Light  Infantry, 
and  occurred  while  Mr.  Boutwell  was  Governor  of  the 
Commonwealth;  and  I  remember  well  the  reception  which 
he  gave  to  the  officers  on  the  intervening  evening  at  his 
house,  built  during  the  preceding  year. 

Akin  to  the  subject  of  military  matters,  was  a  custom 
which  formerly  prevailed  in  some  parts  of  Massachusetts, 
and  perhaps  elsewhere,  of  celebrating  occasionally  the  an- 
niversary of  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  which  falls  on 
October  19.  Such  a  celebration  was  called  a  "  Corn- 
wallis  " ;  and  it  was  intended  to  represent,  in  a  burlesque 
manner,  the  siege  of  the  town,  as  well  as  the  ceremony  of 


148 

its  surrender.  The  most  prominent  generals  on  each  side 
would  be  personated,  while  the  men  of  the  two  armies 
would  wear  what  was  supposed  to  be  their  peculiar  uni- 
form. I  can  recall  now  more  than  one  such  sham  fight  that 
took  place  in  this  town  during  my  boyhood.  In  10  Gushing, 
252,  is  to  be  found  a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  of  Massachusetts,  enjoining  a  town  treasurer  from 
paying  money  that  had  been  appropriated  for  such  a 
celebration. 

James  Russell  Lowell,  in  his  Glossary  to  "  The  Biglow 
Papers,"  thus  defines  the  word :  "  Cornwallis,  a  sort  of 
muster  in  masquerade;  supposed  to  have  had  its  origin 
soon  after  the  Revolution,  and  to  commemorate  the  sur- 
render of  Lord  Cornwallis.  It  took  the  place  of  the  old 
Guy  Fawkes  procession."  Speaking  in  the  character  of 
Hosea  Biglow,  he  asks, 

Recollect  wut  fun  we  hed,  you  'n'  I  an'  Ezry  Hollis 

Up  there  to  Waltham  plain  last  fall,  along  o'  the  Cornwallis  ? 

He  further  says  in  a  note :  "  i  hait  the  Sight  of  a  feller 
with  a  muskit  as  I  du  pizn  But  their  is  fun  to  a  cornwallis 
I  aint  agoin'  to  deny  it." 

The  last  Cornwallis  in  this  immediate  neighborhood  came 
off  about  sixty  years  ago  at  Pepperell;  and  I  remember 
witnessing  it.  Another  Cornwallis  on  a  large  scale  oc- 
curred at  Clinton  in  the  year  1853,  in  which  nine  uni- 
formed companies  of  militia,  including  the  Groton  Artil- 
lery, took  part.  On  this  occasion  the  burlesque  display, 
both  in  numbers  and  details,  far  outshone  all  former  at- 
tempts of  a  similar  character,  and,  like  the  song  of  a  swan, 
ended  a  custom  that  had  come  down  from  a  previous  cen- 
tury. At  the  present  day  nothing  is  left  of  this  quaint 
celebration  but  a  faded  memory  and  an  uncertain  tradition. 

The  first  settlers  of  Massachusetts  brought  with  them 
from  England  a  good  supply  of  seeds  and  stones  of  vari- 
ous fruits,  grains,  and  vegetables,  which  were  duly  planted. 
In  this  way  was  begun  the  cultivation  of  apples,  pears, 
peaches,  plums,  cherries,  wheat,  rye,  barley,  oats,  beans, 


149 

peas,  potatoes,  hops,  currants,  etc.,  and  in  the  course  of 
a  few  years  they  raised  fair  crops  of  all  these  products. 

As  early  as  1660  all  inn-holders  and  tavern-keepers  were 
required  to  have  a  license  in  order  to  be  allowed  to  carry 
on  their  business;  and  they  were  obliged  to  be  approbated 
by  the  selectmen  of  the  town  and  to  be  licensed  by  the 
County  Court.  At  the  same  time  a  restriction  was  placed 
on  makers  of  cider,  who  were  not  allowed  to  sell  by  retail, 
except  under  certain  conditions ;  "  and  that  it  be  only  to 
masters  of  families  of  good  and  honest  report,  or  persons 
going  to  Sea,  and  they  suffer  not  any  person  to  drink  the 
same  in  their  houses,  cellars  or  yards."  This  reference, 
found  in  "  The  Book  of  the  General  Lawes  and  Libertyes  " 
(Cambridge,  1660),  shows  that  at  an  early  date  in  the 
history  of  the  Colony  the  prohibitory  principle  was  recog- 
nized by  legislative  enactment,  and  that  it  is  by  no  means 
a  modern  idea.  The  reference  shows  furthermore  that 
cider  was  made  by  the  settlers  at  an  early  period.  Few 
persons  of  the  rising  generation  are  aware  of  the  great 
quantities  of  cider  made  fifty  or  seventy-five  years  ago 
on  almost  every  farm  in  an  agricultural  community.  I 
am  placing  the  estimate  within  moderate  bounds  when  I 
say  that  every  good-sized  farm  in  Groton  had  an  apple 
orchard  and  a  cider  mill  on  the  premises.  Many  a  farmer 
would  make  all  the  way  from  ten  to  thirty  barrels  of 
cider  for  home  use,  besides  what  he  would  sell  elsewhere 
or  make  into  vinegar;  and  this  large  stock  was  kept  in 
the  cellar.  There  are  now  in  this  audience  men  and  women 
who  remember  how  years  ago  they  used  to  suck  sweet  cider 
through  a  long  rye  straw,  as  it  ran  from  the  pres».  At 
such  times  the  children  were  often  as  thick  as  honey  bees 
round  the  bung-hole  of  a  hogshead  of  molasses  in  summer 
time. 

Many  plants  were  brought  originally  to  New  England 
from  other  countries  for  their  medicinal  virtues,  and  many 
were  introduced  by  chance.  Some  have  multiplied  so  rapidly 
and  grown  so  plentifully  in  the  fields  and  by  the  roadside, 
that  they  are  now  considered  common  weeds.  Wormwood, 


tansy,  chamomile,  yarrow,  dandelion,  burdock,  plantain,  cat- 
nip, and  mint  all  came  here  by  importation.  These  exotic 
plants  made  their  way  into  the  interior,  as  fast  as  civiliza- 
tion extended  in  that  direction;  though  in  some  instances 
the  seeds  may  have  been  carried  by  birds  in  their  flight. 

Dr.  William  Douglass,  in  "  A  Summary,  Historical  and 
Political,  of  the  first  Planting,  progressive  Improvements, 
and  present  State  of  the  British  Settlements  in  North 
America,"  published  at  Boston  (Volume  I.  in  the  year 
1749,  and  Volume  II.  in  1753),  says:  — 

Near  Boston  and  other  great  Towns,  some  Field  Plans  which 
accidentally  have  been  imported  from  Europe,  spread  much, 
and  are  a  great  Nusance  in  Pastures,  ...  at  present  they  have 
spread  Inland  from  Boston,  about  30  Miles  (ii.  207). 

According  to  this  statement,  the  pioneers  of  some  of 
these  foreign  plants  or  weeds  had  already  reached  the 
township  of  Groton  near  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. Dr.  Douglass  gives  another  fact  about  the  town 
which  may  be  worthy  of  preservation,  as  follows :  — 

There  are  some  actual  Surveys  of  Extents  which  ought  not 
to  be  lost  in  Oblivion ;  as  for  Instance,  from  Merrimack  River 
due  West  to  Groton  Meeting-House  are  12  miles;  from  Groton 
Meeting  House  (as  surveyed  by  Col.  Stoddard,  Major  Fulham, 
and  Mr.  Dwight,  by  Order  of  the  General  Assembly)  to  North- 
field  Meeting-House  W.  16  d.  N.  by  Compass,  are  41  Miles 
and  half  (i.  425  note). 

Such  surveys,  as  those  given  in  this  extract,  before  the 
days  *of  railroads  were  of  more  interest  to  the  public  than 
they  are  now ;  but,  as  the  author  says,  they  "  ought  not  to 
be  lost  in  Oblivion." 

The  greatest  advance  in  social  and  moral  life  during  the 
last  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  has  been  in  the 
cause  of  temperance.  Soon  after  the  period  of  the  Revo- 
lution there  arose  an  abuse  of  spirituous  liquors,  perhaps 
induced  in  part  by  the  return  home  of  young  men  from  the 


army,  who  while  absent  had  acquired  the  habit  of  drinking 
to  excess.  There  was  no  public  occasion,  from  a  wedding 
to  a  funeral,  or  from  the  ordination  of  a  minister  to  the 
raising  of  a  house  or  barn,  when  rum  in  its  many  Protean 
shapes  was  not  given  out.  It  was  set  on  the  festive  side- 
board, and  used  freely  both  by  the  old  and  young;  and 
sometimes  even  the  pastor  of  the  church  yielded  to  the  in- 
sidious seduction  of  the  stimulant.  Liquors  were  sold  at 
retail  at  most  of  the  trading-shops  in  town,  and  at  the  three 
taverns  in  the  village.  The  late  Elizur  Wright,  an  emi- 
nent statistician,  and  nearly  eighty  years  ago  a  resident 
of  Groton,  once  told  me  in  writing  that,  according  to  an 
estimate  made  by  him  at  that  period,  the  amount  of  New 
England  rum  sold  here  in  one  year  was  somewhat  over 
28,000  gallons.  This  quantity  applied  to  rum  only,  —  at 
that  time  the  common  tipple  in  the  average  country  village, 
—  and  did  not  include  other  alcoholic  stimulants.  The 
amount  was  not  a  guess  on  his  part,  but  was  taken  from 
the  books  of  dealers  in  the  fluid,  who  had  kindly  complied 
with  his  request  for  the  amount  of  their  sales  during  the 
previous  year;  though  it  should  be  added  that  some  of  the 
buyers  lived  in  neighboring  towns.  Ex  pede  Herculem. 
We  judge  of  the  whole  from  the  specimen. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  huge  department  stores 
in  the  large  cities  are  a  modern  institution,  so  far  as  they 
relate  to  the  variety  of  articles  sold;  but  in  this  respect 
they  are  only  an  imitation  of  the  old-time  country  store. 
Fifty  years  ago  the  average  trading-shop  kept  about  every- 
thing that  was  sold,  from  a  pin  to  a  plough,  from  silks  and 
satins  to  stoves  and  shovels,  and  from  tea  and  coffee  to 
tin  dippers  and  cotton  drilling,  flour,  all  kinds  of  dry-goods 
and  groceries,  molasses,  raisins,  bricks,  cheese,  hats,  nails, 
sperm  oil,  grindstones,  boots  and  shoes,  drugs  and  medi- 
cines, to  say  nothing  of  a  supply  of  confectionery  for  chil- 
dren ;  besides  a  daily  barter  of  any  of  the  aforesaid  articles 
for  butter  and  fresh  eggs.  The  traders  were  omnivorous 
in  their  dealings,  and  they  kept  on  hand  nearly  everything 
that  was  asked  for  by  the  customers.  In  this  respect  they 


152 

have  set  an  example  to  the  proprietors  of  department  stores, 
who  offer  for  sale  an  equally  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
goods. 

Within  the  last  three-quarters  of  a  century,  perhaps  the 
most  useful  invention  given  to  mankind,  certainly  one  very 
widely  used,  has  been  the  common  friction  match.  Ap- 
parently it  is  so  trifling  and  inconspicuous  that  among  the 
great  discoveries  of  the  nineteenth  century  it  is  likely  to  be 
overlooked.  This  little  article  is  so  cheap  that  no  hove'l 
or  hamlet  throughout  Christendom  is  ever  without  it,  and 
yet  so  useful  that  it  is  found  in  every  house  or  mansion, 
no  matter  how  palatial,  and  in  every  vessel  that  sails  the 
sea.  Bunches  of  matches  are  made  by  the  millions  and  bil- 
lions, and  broad  acres  of  forests  are  cut  down  each  year 
to  supply  the  wood ;  and  in  every  home  they  are  used  with- 
out regard  to  waste  or  economy.  "  No  correct  statistics 
of  match  making  can  be  given,  but  it  has  been  estimated 
that  six  matches  a  day  for  each  individual  of  the  population 
of  Europe  and  North  America  is  the  average  consumption." 
(The  American  Cyclopaedia,  New  York,  1883.)  Perhaps 
no  other  invention  of  the  last  century  comes  so  nearly  in 
touch  with  the  family  and  household  in  all  parts  of  the 
civilized  world  as  this  necessity  of  domestic  life. 

I  have  mentioned  these  facts  in  some  detail  as  the  fric- 
tion match  has  had  such  a  close  connection  with  country 
life  in  New  England,  as  elsewhere.  In  early  days  when 
fire  was  kept  on  the  domestic  hearth,  from  month  to  month 
and  from  year  to  year,  by  covering  up  live  coals  with  ashes, 
sometimes  from  one  cause  or  another  it  would  go  out ;  and 
then  it  was  necessary  to  visit  a  neighbor  to  "  borrow  fire," 
as  the  expression  was.  If  the  distance  was  short,  live  coals 
might  be  brought  on  a  shovel;  but  if  too  far,  a  lighted 
candle  could  be  carried  in  a  tin  lantern  and  would  furnish 
the  needed  flame.  Often  a  flint-and-steel  was  used  for 
striking  fire,  but  sometimes  even  this  useful  article  was 
wanting.  I  have  heard  of  instances  where  a  man  would 
fire  off  a  gun  into  a  wad  of  tow  and  set  it  on  fire,  and 
thus  get  the  desired  spark  to  start  the  blaze. 


153 

Another  invention,  which  has  come  into  general  use 
within  the  last  sixty  years,  and  has  changed  the  destinies 
of  the  world,  is  Morse's  electric  telegraph.  In  the  sending 
of  messages  it  practically  annihilates  space,  and  has  worked 
wonders  in  science  and  in  the  every-day  affairs  of  life.  By 
means  of  it  the  words  of  Puck  become  a  reality  when  he 
says: 

I  '11  put  a  girdle  round  about  the  Earth 
In  forty  minutes. 

If  the  ocean  telegraph  had  been  in  operation  at  that  time, 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  on  January  8,  1815,  would  not 
have  been  fought.  It  took  place  a  fortnight  after  the  treaty 
of  peace  had  been  signed  at  Ghent,  though  the  tidings  of 
the  treaty  were  not  received  in  this  country  until  a  month 
after  the  action.  The  chances  are  that  Andrew  Jackson 
would  never  have  been  President  of  the  United  States  if 
he  had  not  gained  that  battle ;  nor  would  Martin  Van  Buren 
have  succeeded  to  the  same  high  office  if  as  Secretary  of 
State  or  as  Vice-President  he  had  not  been  associated  with 
Jackson.  This  will  serve  as  an  illustration  of  the  influence 
which  the  telegraph  may  have  on  human  affairs. 

Little  short  of  fifty  years  ago  I  spent  an  evening  with 
Professor  Morse  at  his  rooms  in  Paris,  and  he  told  me  a 
thrilling  tale  of  the  circumstances  which  led  up  to  his  great 
discovery  of  the  application  of  electricity  to  the  sending  of 
messages;  and  how  the  thought  first  came  to  him  many 
years  before,  when  in  a  packet  ship  on  the  voyage  from 
Havre  to  New  York.  I  have  often  regretted  that  I  did 
not  then  write  down  at  once  my  recollections  of  the  visit, 
while  they  were  fresh  in  memory ;  but  unfortunately  I  did 
not  do  so. 

A  telegraph  office  in  this  village  was  opened  on  Saturday, 
March  20,  1880,  and  the  first  message  along  its  wires  was 
sent  to  Nashua,  New  Hampshire.  The  office  was  in  the 
railway  station,  where  it  has  since  remained. 

The  telephone  office  here  was  first  opened  on  Friday, 
April  29,  1 88 1,  in  the  building  at  the  south  corner  of  Main 


154 

Street  and  Station  Avenue,  where  it  still  remains;  and 
there  are  now  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  sub- 
scribers to  the  line,  who  in  the  ordinary  activities  of  life 
use  the  modern  method  of  talking  with  their  unseen 
friends. 

By  the  side  of  the  investigations  connected  with  this 
address  I  am  reminded  that  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house 
is  now  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  During  one  half 
of  this  period  it  was  the  only  designated  place  of  worship 
within  the  limits  of  the  town;  and  for  these  seventy-five 
years  it  was  the  centre  of  the  religious  life  of  the  people. 
From  its  walls  went  forth  all  the  efforts  that  made  for  the 
highest  and  noblest  traits  of  human  nature.  It  was  the 
fourth  meeting-house  used  by  the  town,  and  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  third  building,  a  spot  which  was  by  no  means 
the  unanimous  choice  of  the  town  when  that  structure  was 
built;  and  the  usual  controversy  then  took  place  over  the 
site.  It  was  begun  in  1714,  and  was  two  years  in  process 
of  building.  In  early  times  there  was  always  much  con- 
tention in  regard  to  the  local  position  of  the  house,  some 
wanting  it  put  in  one  place,  and  others  in  another,  accord- 
ing to  the  convenience  of  their  respective  families.  Mr. 
Butler,  in  his  History  of  Groton,  says :  "  But  the  momen- 
tous affairs  of  deciding  upon  a  spot  on  which  to  set  a  public 
building,  and  choosing  and  settling  a  minister,  are  not 
usually  accomplished  without  much  strife  and  contention, 
and  are  sometimes  attended  with  long  and  furious  quar- 
rels and  expensive  lawsuits"  (p.  306).  The  Reverend 
Joseph  Emerson,  the  first  minister  of  Groton  West  Parish, 
now  known  as  Pepperell,  explains  the  cause  thus :  "It  hath 
been  observed  that  some  of  the  hottest  contentions  in  this 
land  hath  been  about  settling  of  ministers  and  building 
meeting-houses;  and  what  is  the  reason?  The  devil  is  a 
great  enemy  to  settling  ministers  and  building  meeting- 
houses; wherefore  he  sets  on  his  own  children  to  work 
and  make  difficulties,  and  to  the  utmost  of  his  power  stirs 
up  the  corruptions  of  the  children  of  God  in  some  way  to 
oppose  or  obstruct  so  good  a  work." 


155 

With  no  desire  on  my  part  to  dispute  Mr.  Emerson's 
theory  in  regard  to  this  matter,  I  think  that  the  present 
generation  would  hardly  accept  his  explanation  as  the  cor- 
rect one. 

For  some  months,  perhaps  for  one  or  two  years,  before 
the  present  house  of  worship  was  built,  the  question  of  a 
new  structure  was  considered  and  discussed  at  town- 
meetings.  It  was  then  in  the  air,  and  finally  the  matter 
took  concrete  shape.  On  May  6,  1754,  the  town  made 
definite  plans  for  a  raising  of  the  frame;  and  on  such 
occasions  at  that  period  of  time  rum  was  supposed  to  be 
needed,  not  only  to  bring  together  a  crowd  to  help  along 
the  work,  but  also  to  give  strength  to  the  workers.  At 
that  meeting  the  following  vote  was  passed :  — 

at  a  Legal  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  at  Groton  qualleyfied 
by  Law  for  voting  in  Town  affairs  assembled  Chose  Cap* 
bancroft  moderator  for  sd  meeting 

The  question  was  put  which  way  they  would  face  the 
meetinghouse  and  the  major  vote  was  for  facing  sd  house  to 
the  west 

Voted  that  The  meeting  house  Comtee  prouide  one  hogshead 
of  Rum  one  Loaf  of  white  Shuger  one  quarter  of  a  hundread 
of  brown  Shugar  also  voted  that  Deacon  Stone  Deacon  farwell 
Lt  Isaac  woods  benje  Stone  Lt  John  Woods  Capt  Sam11  Tar- 
bell  Amos  Lawrence  Ensign  Obadiah  Parker  Cap*  bancroft 
be  a  Comtee  and  to  prouide  Victuals  and  Drink  for  a  hundread 
men  and  If  the  people  Dont  subscribe  anough  then  the  Comtee 
to  purchas  the  Remainder  up  on  the  Towns  Cost. 

Voted  that  The  Comtee  that  Got  the  Timber  for  The  meet- 
ing house  haue  Liberty  with  such  as  shall  subscribe  thear  to 
to  build  a  porch  at  the  front  Dore  of  the  meeting  house  up 
on  their  own  Cost 

Then  voted  that  the  Select  men  prouide  some  Conuiant  place 
to  meet  in  upon  the  Sabbath  Till  further  order. 

According  to  Joseph  Farwell's  note-book  the  raising  took 
place  on  May  22,  1754,  — which  day  fell  on  Wednesday,  — 
and  lasted  until  Saturday,  May  25.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
during  these  three  days  no  accident  happened  on  account 
of  the  liquid  stimulant.  Probably  the  work  on  the  build- 


156 

ing-  was  pushed  with  all  the  speed  then  possible  and  avail- 
able; and,  probably  too,  it  was  used  for  worship  long  be- 
fore it  was  finished.  During  this  period  of  interruption  in 
the  public  services  it  is  very  likely  that  the  Sunday  meet- 
ings were  held  at  the  house  of  the  minister,  Mr.  Trowbridge, 
who  then  lived  near  the  site  of  the  present  High  School 
building. 

According  to  Farwell's  note-book,  on  August  18,  1754, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Dickinson  became  a  member  of  the  church,  the 
first  person  so  admitted  in  the  new  meeting-house.  She 
was  the  widow  of  James  Dickinson,  who  had  died  only 
a  few  weeks  before,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  graveyard. 
According  to  the  same  authority,  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  administered  in  the  new  building  for 
the  first  time  on  November  15,  1754. 

The  early  settlers  did  not  believe  much  in  outward  cere- 
mony; and  the  new  meeting-house  was  never  formally 
dedicated  by  a  special  service.  Perhaps,  when  the  house 
was  first  opened  for  worship,  Mr.  Trowbridge  preached  a 
sermon  in  keeping  with  the  occasion ;  and  very  likely  in  his 
prayer  he  made  some  allusion  to  the  event.  We  are  told 
that  the  prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availeth  much.  The 
homage  paid  to  the  Creator  of  the  universe  each  Sunday, 
both  by  the  pulpit  and  the  pews,  would  consecrate  any  such 
structure  to  its  high  purpose.  Simple  in  their  religious 
faith,  the  worshippers  had  no  use  for  ecclesiastical  forms. 
Not  alone  by  their  words,  but  by  their  thoughts,  they  dedi- 
cated the  meeting-house.  Sometimes  words  not  spoken  have 
more  meaning  than  those  which  are  uttered. 

The  Common,  in  front  of  the  present  meeting-house,  was 
a  place  closely  connected  with  the  life  of  the  town.  Here 
at  an  early  period  the  two  militia  companies  used  to  meet 
and  drill  at  regular  times,  known  as  training-days.  On  the 
Common  the  two  companies  of  minute-men  rallied  on  the 
morning  of  that  eventful  nineteenth  of  April,  and  received 
their  ammunition  from  the  town's  stock,  which  was  stored 
in  the  Powder-house  near  by.  Here  they  took  farewell  of 
friends  and  families,  knowing  full  well  the  responsible 


157 

duties  that  rested  on  their  shoulders,  and  the  dangers  that 
threatened  them.  These  men  marched  hence  on  that  memo- 
rable day  as  British  subjects,  but  they  came  back  as  in- 
dependent citizens  who  never  knew  again  the  authority  of 
a  king. 

In  that  house  Mr.  Dana,  a  young  and  rising  lawyer  of 
Groton,  pronounced  a  eulogy  on  General  Washington, 
which  was  delivered  on  Saturday,  February  22,  1800,  a 
few  weeks  after  his  death.  The  military  companies  of 
the  town  attended  the  exercises.  Miss  Elizabeth  Farns- 
worth  (1791-1884)  as  a  little  girl  was  present  on  the 
occasion,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  (Capell)  Gilson  (1793-1890), 
though  not  present  at  the  exercises,  remembered  the  event; 
and  they  both  gave  me  their  faint  recollections  of  the  day. 

The  meeting-house  was  remodelled  in  the  year  1839, 
when  it  was  partially  turned  round,  and  the  north  end  of 
the  building  made  the  front,  facing  the  west,  as  it  now 
stands.  Formerly  the  road  to  the  easterly  part  of  the  town 
went  diagonally  across  the  Common,  and  passed  down  the 
hill  to  the  south  of  the  meeting-house;  and  there  was  no 
highway  on  the  north  side.  Before  this  change  in  the  build- 
ing was  made,  the  town-meetings  were  always  held  in  the 
body  of  the  house;  and  the  voting  was  done  in  front  of 
the  pulpit.  In  my  mind's  eye  I  can  see  now  the  old 
pulpit,  with  the  sounding-board  overhead,  which  I  well 
remember. 

The  town-clock  in  the  steeple,  so  familiar  to  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  Groton,  was  made  by  James  Ridg- 
way,  and  placed  in  the  tower  some  time  during  the  spring 
of  1809.  It  was  paid  for  in  part  by  the  town,  and  in 
part  by  private  subscription.  Mr.  Ridgway  was  a  silver- 
smith and  a  clock-maker,  who  during  the  war  with  Eng- 
land (1812-1815)  carried  on  a  large  business  in  this 
neighborhood.  He  afterward  removed  to  Keene,  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  lived  for  many  years.  His  shop  was 
situated  on  Main  Street,  nearly  opposite  to  the  Groton 
Inn,  but  it  disappeared  a  long  time  ago. 


158 

The  bell  of  the  meeting-house  was  cast  in  the  year  1819 
by  Revere  and  Son,  Boston,  and,  according  to  the  inscrip- 
tion, weighs  1128  pounds. 

On  this  interesting  occasion  we  are  all  glad  to  have 
present  with  us  the  venerable  Zara  Patch,  a  native  of 
Groton  and  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  the  town.  His  an- 
cestry in  both  branches  of  the  family  runs  back  nearly  to 
the  beginning  of  the  settlement,  and  in  his  person  is  rep- 
resented some  of  the  best  blood  of  old  Groton  stock;  and 
we  welcome  him  at  this  time.  He  is  the  last  survivor  of 
nineteen  citizens  who  signed  the  call  for  the  due  observ- 
ance of  the  bi-centennial  anniversary,  on  October  31,  1855, 
which  was  issued  in  the  preceding  May. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  town  had  a  celebration  of  the  two- 
hundredth  anniversary  of  its  settlement,  similar  to  the  one 
we  are  now  holding.  On  that  occasion  Governor  Boutwell 
was  President  of  the  day,  and  the  Reverend  Arthur  Buck- 
minster  Fuller,  a  younger  brother  of  Margaret  Fuller,  — 
of  a  family  once  resident  here,  —  made  the  historical  ad- 
dress, which  was  delivered  in  the  Congregational  Meeting- 
house. Colonel  Eusebius  Silsby  Clark,  who  lost  his  life 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  on 
October  17,  1864,  was  the  Chief  Marshal.  Of  his  six  aids 
on  that  day  John  Warren  Parker  and  myself  are  the  sole 
survivors,  and  the  only  representatives  of  those  who  had 
an  official  connection  with  the  exercises;  and  now  we  are 
left  the  last  two  leaves  on  the  branch.  At  that  celebration 
Mr.  Parker  was  also  one  of  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments; and  we  are  all  glad  to  see  him  present  on  this 
occasion. 

Groton  is  a  small  town,  but  there  are  those  who  love 
her  and  cherish  her  good  name  and  fame.  She  has  been 
the  mother  of  many  a  brave  son  and  many  a  fair  daugh- 
ter, dutiful  children  who  through  generations  "  arise  up 
and  call  her  blessed."  She  is  the  Mount  Zion  of  a  large 
household.  Of  her  numerous  family,  from  the  nursling 
to  the  aged,  by  her  example  she  has  spared  no  pains  to 
make  them  useful  citizens  and  worthy  members  of  society. 


159 

In  former  years  she  was  relatively  a  much  more  important 
town  than  she  is  now.  At  the  time  of  the  first  national 
census  in  1790,  in  population  Groton  was  the  second  town 
in  Middlesex  County,  Cambridge  alone  surpassing  it.  In 
order  to  learn  the  true  value  of  some  communities,  and 
to  give  the  inhabitants  of  Groton  their  proper  rank,  they 
should  be  weighed  and  not  counted;  and  by  this  standard 
it  will  be  found  that  the  town  has  not  lost  even  in  rela- 
tive importance.  Bigness  and  greatness  by  no  means  are 
synonymous  words,  and  in  their  significance  there  is  a  wide 
difference.  In  all  our  thoughts  and  all  our  deeds,  let  us 
do  as  well  by  the  town  as  she  has  done  by  us. 

Fellow  Townsmen  and  Neighbors,  —  the  stint  you  set 
me  is  now  done.  On  my  part  it  has  proved  to  be  not  a 
task,  but  a  labor  of  love.  If  anything  that  I  may  have 
said  shall  spur  others  to  study  the  history  of  an  old  town 
that  was  typical  of  life  among  plain  folk  in  the  early  days 
of  New  England,  and  one  that  has  left  an  honorable  record 
during  the  various  periods  of  its  existence,  my  aim  will 
have  been  reached. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

The  Name  of  Grolon 

I  AM  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Edward  Mussey 
Hartwell  for  the  following  paper  on  the  origin  of  the  name 
of  Groton.  From  any  other  source  I  could  not  have  ob- 
tained such  a  scholarly  essay  on  the  subject;  and  it  places 
me  under  great  obligations  to  him.  Dr.  Hartwell  passed 
his  boyhood  in  Littleton,  where  his  father's  family  be- 
longed; and  he  fitted  for  college  mostly  at  Lawrence 
Academy,  so  that  he  has  inherited  an  historical  interest  in 
the  neighborhood. 

STATISTICS  DEPARTMENT. 
BOSTON,  July  3,  1905. 

HON.  SAMUEL  A.  GREEN,  Librarian, 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

DEAR  DR.  GREEN,  —  What  follows  contains  the  gist  of  my 
notes  on  Groton.  For  the  sake  of  conciseness  and  brevity,  I 
forbear  ( i )  from  fully  describing  the  sources  whence  my  cita- 
tions are  derived,  and  (2)  from  quotation  of  authorities  re- 
garding the  linguistic  affinities  of  the  components  of  the  word 
Groton.  However,  I  may  say  that  I  can  support  every  state- 
ment by  documentary  evidence  that  seems  conclusive  to  me. 

Groton  occurs  as  a  place  name  both  in  England  and  the 
United  States.  Groton  in  England,  which  is  situated  in  the 
County  of  Suffolk,  appears  to  be  a  small  parish  of  some  1560 
acres,  of  which  39  are  in  common.  The  "  Dictionnaire  des 
Bureaux  de  Poste  "  published  at  Berne  in  1895,  giyes  six  post- 
offices  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  having  the  name 
of  Groton.  Two  of  them,  viz.,  Groton,  Massachusetts,  and 
Groton,  Connecticut,  date  from  Colonial  times,  i.  e.,  from  1655 
and  1705  respectively,  and  numbered  among  their  original 
grantees  or  proprietors  members  of  the  Winthrop  family  whose 
ancestral  seat  was  Groton  in  the  Babenberg  Hundred,  County 
Suffolk,  England,  whence  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  all  Grotons 
in  this  country  have  derived  their  name.  Among  them  Groton, 
Mass.,  is  the  most  ancient.  The  name  (spelt  Gr oaten}  appears 


1 64 

in  a  vote  of  the  General  Court  dated  May  29,  1655,  to  grant 
a  new  plantation  at  Petapawag  to  Mr.  Deane  Winthrop  and 
others.  In  later  records  of  the  General  Court,  e.  g.,  May  26, 
1658,  the  form  Groten  appears ;  and  in  the  same  records  under 
date  of  November  12,  1659,  both  Groten  and  Gr oaten  appear. 

The  Manor  of  Groton  in  Babenberg  Hundred  in  the  Liberty 
of  St.  Edmund  and  the  County  of  Suffolk,  England,  according 
to  the  Domesday  Book  ( 1086)  belonged  to  the  Abbey  of  Bury 
St.  Edmund's  in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor  (1042- 
1065).  In  1544  the  request  of  Adam  Wynthorpe  to  purchase 
"  the  Farm  of  the  Manor  of  Groton  (Suffolk)  late  of  the  Mon- 
astery of  Bury  St.  Edmund's  "  was  granted  by  Henry  VIII. 
(into  whose  hands  it  had  come  when  the  monasteries  were  sup- 
pressed) for  the  sum  of  £408.  i8s.  3d.  Governor  John  Win- 
throp, grandson  of  Adam  Wynthorpe,  was  Lord  of  the  Manor 
of  Groton  in  1618.  In  1630  or  1631  he  sold  his  interest  therein 
for  £4,200.  I  find  the  name  of  this  manor  spelt  variously  at 
different  times  as  follows : 

1.  Grotena  (a)  in  Domesday  Book  in  1086. 

(b)  in  Jocelin  de  Brakelond's  Chronicle  in  1200. 

(c)  in  the  Hundred  Rolls  in  1277. 

2.  Grotene  (a)  in  Joe.  de  Brakelond  about  1200. 

(b)  in  the  Patent  Rolls,  1291  and  1298. 

3.  Grotowa  in  Joe.  de  Brakelond  about  1200. 

4.  Grotone  (a)  in  Joe.  de  Brakelond  about  1200. 

(b)  in  the  Patent  Rolls  in  1423. 

(c)  in  Dugdale's  citation  of  a  MS.  of  1533, 

5.  Groton     (a)  in   Dugdale's   citation    of   a   MS.    of    I4th 

Century. 

(b)   in  Records  of  the  Augmentation  Office,  1541 
and  1544. 

Jocelin  de  Brakelond  was  a  monk  of  Bury  St.  Edmund's 
who,  as  Chaplain  of  the  Abbot,  wrote  the  Chronicle  which  bears 
his  name.  It  covers  the  period  1173-1203,  i.  e.,  the  incumbency 
of  Abbot  Samson.  The  frequent  mention  of  Groton  in  this 
Chronicle,  written  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  Abbey  and  cer- 
tain claimants  named  de  Cokefeld  had  a  law-suit  over  lands  at 
Groton. 

Since  1541  Groton  appears  to  have  been  the  form  of  the  name 
of  the  English  manor,  parish  or  hamlet.  It  may  be  remarked : 
( i )  that  "  de  Grotena  "  is  found  as  a  personal  name  in  the 
Hundred  Rolls,  1297;  and  "  de  Grotton  "  in  the  Scotch  Rolls, 
1327 ;  while  a  holding  named  Grotton,  "  late  of  the  Monastery 


of  Delacres  in  Staffordshire,"  is  mentioned  in  the  records  of 
the  Augmentation  Office,  1547;  and  Grotton,  a  railway  station 
in  Lancashire,  is  mentioned  in  a  "  Comprehensive  Gazetteer  of 
England  and  Wales,"  a  recent  but  undated  work. 

The  Latinized  "  in  Grotena  "  and  "  Grotenam  "  of  the  Domes- 
day Book  give  rise  to  the  suggestion  that  Groten  has  the  force 
of  an  adjective  (meaning  gravelly,  gritty,  stony  or  sandy), 
which  served  to  characterize  a  tract  of  land,  or  perhaps  a  hill, 
a  pit,  a  ham,  or  a  ton.  I  take  grot  to  be  one  form  of  the  Old 
English  greot,  grut  (Middle  English,  greet,  gret,  and  Modern 
English,  grit),  meaning  gravel.  , 

The  following  is  a  series  of  forms  in  which  variants  of  greot 
seem  to  have  an  adjectival  force: 

(1)  Grcotan  edesces  lond,  relating  to  land  in  Kent,  in  a  charter 

dated  822.     Possibly  greotan  may  stand   for  greatan, 
meaning  big. 

(2)  Gretenlinkes,  in  Hampshire,  in  a  land  charter  of  966. 

(3)  Gretindun  (later  Gretton  in  Dorsetshire),  mentioned  in  a 

charter  of  1019. 

(4)  Gretenhowe,  the  name  of  Gretna  in  Scotland,  in  1376. 

(5)  Grotintune,  a  manor  in  Shropshire,  Domesday  Book,  1086. 

(6)  Gratenton   (?),  a  manor  in  Berkshire,  Domesday  Book, 

1086. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  form  Greotcw  may  be  the  dative  plural 
of  greot  (for  greotwwf)  used  in  a  locative  sense. "  at  the 
gravels,"  since  Gravelai  and  Gravclei  occur  as  place  names  in 
Domesday  Book  and  Gravell  occurs  in  the  Hundred  Rolls, 
temp.  Edw.  I. 

The  following  scheme,  derived  from  various  standard  lexi- 
cons, exhibits  the  etymological  affinities  of  Greot  (grit)  : 

Old  Middle  Modern 

Saxon  Griot,  griet,  cf.  English  and     cf.  English,  German 

greot,  German,  and  Norse. 

English  Greot,  grut,        Greot,  Greet,         Grit,  grot,  grout. 

grot,  grit,  gryt,  gret, 

High  German  Grioz,       Griesz,  Gries,  Gruse,  Graus. 

Norse: 

IcclandicGr]6t(griot),  Grjot  Grjot,  Gryttn. 

Danish  and 

Norwegian  Grjot,         Grjot,  Gryt (e),     Gruus,  Grus,  Gryttn. 
Swedish  Grus,  Grytt. 

Old  Frisian  gret. 
Low  German  grott. 


1 66 


Grot,  for  great,  appears  to  be  an  old  and  rather  rare  form. 
It  should  be  stated  that  British  place  (and  personal)  names 
having-  Grct  are  much  more  numerous  than  those  having  Grot 
in  the  first  syllable.  Gretton  is  the  name  of  several  manors  men- 
tioned in  Domesday,  e.g.,  the  present  Girton  (formerly  called 
Gritton)  (cf.  Girton  College),  near  Cambridge  (Cambs.)  and 
Gretton  in  Northamptonshire,  still  called  Gretton.  The  last 
was  Gretton  (gryttune  in  1060),  Greton  in  1086,  Gretton  in 
1277,  1678,  and  1895. 

Other  forms  besides  Gretton  are :  Gret-a  =  Gritwater,  a 
stream  in  Cumberland,  cf.  Greta-mar sc (=  Grit- water-marsh?), 
821;  Greta-bridge  =  Gritwater  bridge,  Gret-ford,  Gret-ham, 
Gret-land,  Gret-well.  Southey,  the  poet,  lived  at  Greta  Hall. 

Greta  river  in  Cumberland  had  its  counterpart  in  Grjotd,  in 
the  eleventh  century  in  Iceland,  translated  Gritwater  by  Dasent 
in  "  The  Burnt  Nial."  Gryttnbakki  =  Gravel  hill  or  Gravel 
bank,  is  the  name  of  (i)  a  modern  post-office  in  Iceland  and 
(2)  another  in  Denmark.  Grytten  is  a  place  name  of  today  in 
Norway. 

The  Icelandic  (Old  Norse)  Gr jot- garth  meant  stone  fence. 
Akin  to  garth  (gard)  are  the  Norwegian  gaard  and  Swedish 
gar d,  a  landed  estate  or  homestead ;  and  the  English  Cloister- 
garth,  yard,  garden,  and  orchard  (ort-geard). 

Ton  in  Groton,  Boston,  etc.,  is  related  to  M.  E.  Ton  (Tone), 
O.  E.  tun,  tune,  O.  Norse  tun,  O.  Frisian  tun,  O.  H.  German 
taun,  and  German  zaun,  a  hedge  or  fence.  Ton  and  tun  origi- 
nally meaning  an  enclosing  hedge  or  fence,  meant  also,  field, 
yard,  manor,  hamlet,  village  and  town  or  city. 

Garth  (yard)  presents  a  parallel  series  of  similar  meanings, 
e.  g.,  O.  Norse  for  Constantinople  was  Myckel-gaard,  i.  e.,  the 
Great  City. 

I  think  that  Groton  stands  for  Grot-ton  (cf.  Gretton,  Grit- 
ton)  and  is  practically  equivalent  to  the  Icelandic  Gr  jot-garth, 
and  that  your  suggestion  in  1876  as  to  the  meaning  of  Groton 
was  a  happy  one.  Floreat  Grotena! 

Yours  faithfully, 

EDWARD  M.  HART  WELL. 


167 


List  of  Indian    Words 

The  following  Indian  names,  applied  by  the  early  settlers 
to  streams,  ponds,  or  places,  in  the  original  township  of 
Groton  and  neighborhood,  for  the  most  part  are  still  in 
common  use.  The  spelling  of  these  words  varies,  as  at  first 
they  were  written  according  to  their  sound  and  not  ac- 
cording to  their  derivation.  In  the  absence  of  any  correct 
standard  either  of  spelling  or  pronunciation,  which  always 
characterizes  an  unwritten  language,  the  words  have  be- 
come so  twisted  and  distorted  that  much  of  their  original 
meaning  is  lost ;  but  their  root  generally  remains.  It  is 
rare  to  find  an  Indian  word  in  an  early  document  spelled 
twice  alike.  In  the  lapse  of  time  these  verbal  changes  have 
been  so  great  that  an  Indian  now  wrould  hardly  recognize 
any  of  them  by  sound.  Even  with  all  these  drawbacks  such 
words  furnish  one  of  the  few  links  in  a  chain  of  historical 
facts  connecting  modern  times  with  the  prehistoric  period 
of  New  England.  As  the  shards  that  lie  scattered  around 
the  site  of  old  Indian  dwellings  are  eagerly  picked  up  by 
the  archaeologist  for  critical  examination,  so  these  isolated 
facts  about  place-names  are  worth  saving  by  the  antiquary 
for  their  philological  value.  "  Gather  up  the  fragments  that 
remain,  that  nothing  be  lost." 

Babbitasset  —  formerly  the  name  of  a  village  in  Pepperell,  now 

included  in  East  Pepperell. 

Baddacook  —  a  pond  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town. 
Catacoonamug  —  a  stream  in  Shirley,  which  empties  into  the 

Nashua. 
Chicopee  —  a  district  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town,  and 

applied  to  the  highway  approaching  it,  called  Chicopee  Row. 
Humhaw  —  a  brook  in  Westford. 
Kissacook  —  a  hill  in  Westford. 
Massapoag  —  a  pond  lying  partly  in  Groton  and   partly  in 

Dunstable. 


i68 


Mulpus  —  a  brook  in  Shirley. 

Nagog  —  a  pond  in  Littleton. 

Nashoba  —  the  old  name  of  the  Praying  Indian  village  in  Lit- 
tleton, now  applied  to  a  hill  in  that  town  as  well  as  to  a  brook 
in  Westford. 

Nashua  —  a  river  running  through  the  township,  and  empty- 
ing into  the  Merrimack. 

Naumox  —  a  district,  near  the  Longley  monument,  lying  west 
of  the  East  Pepperell  road;  said  to  have  been  the  name  of 
an  Indian  chief. 

Nissitisset  —  applied  to  the  neighborhood  of  Hollis,  New 
Hampshire,  and  to  a  river  and  a  hill  in  Pepperell. 

Nonacoicus  —  a  brook  in  Ayer,  though  formerly  the  name  was 
applied  to  a  tract  of  land  in  the  southerly  part  of  Groton, 
and  is  shortened  often  to  Coicus. 

Nubanussuck  —  a  pond  in  Westford. 

Petaupaukett  —  a  name  found  in  the  original  petition  to  the 
General  Court  for  the  grant  of  the  town,  and  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  territory  of  the  neighborhood;  sometimes 
writen  Petapawage  and  Petapaway. 

Quosoponagon  —  a  meadow  "  on  the  other  side  of  the  riuer," 
mentioned  in  the  land-grant  of  Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr. ;  the 
same  word  as  Quasaponikin,  formerly  the  name  of  a  tract 
of  land  in  Lancaster,  but  now  given  to  a  meadow  and  a  hill 
in  that  town,  where  it  is  often  contracted  into  Ponikin. 

Shabikin,  or  more  commonly  Shabokin,  applied  to  a  district  in 
Harvard,  bordering  on  the  Nashua,  below  Still  River  village. 

Squannacook  —  a  river  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  flowing 
into  the  Nashua;  a  name  formerly  applied  to  the  village  of 
West  Groton. 

Tadmuck  —  a  brook  and  a  meadow  in  Westford. 

Unquetenassett,  or  Unquetenorset  —  a  brook  in  the  northerly 
part  of  the  town ;  often  shortened  into  Unquety. 

Waubansconcett  —  another  word  found  in  the  original  petition 
for  the  grant  of  the  town,  and  used  in  connection  with  the 
territory  of  the  neighborhood. 


169 


List  of  Towns 

established  in  the  two  Colonies,  before  the  township  of  Groton 
was  granted  in  1655,  together  with  the  year  when  they  are  first 
mentioned  in  the  records  of  the  General  Court. 


PLYMOUTH    COLONY. 


1620 

1633 

1637 

1638 

« 

1639 


Plymouth 

Scituate 

Duxbury 

Bamstable 

Sandwich 

Yarmouth 


7 

1639 

Taunton 

8 

1641 

Marshfield 

9 

1643 

Eastham 

10 

1645 

Rehoboth 

ii 

1652 

Dartmouth 

MASSACHUSETTS-BAY    COLONY. 


I 

1630 

Charlestown 

19 

1640 

Braintree 

2 

" 

Salem 

20 

" 

Salisbury 

3 

" 

Boston 

21 

1641 

Haverhill 

4 

" 

Dorchester 

22 

" 

Springfield 

5 

" 

Watertown 

23 

1642 

Gloucester 

6 

" 

Medford 

24 

" 

Woburn 

7 

" 

Roxbury 

25 

1643 

Wenham 

8 

1631 

Lynn 

26 

1644 

Hull 

9 

H 

Cambridge 

27 

" 

Reading 

10 

'633 

Marblehead 

28 

1645 

Manchester 

ii 

1634 

Ipswich 

29 

1646 

Andover 

12 

1635 

Newbury 

3° 

1648 

Topsfield 

13 

H 

Hingham 

31 

1649 

Maiden 

14 

" 

Weymouth 

32 

1650 

Medfield 

15 

" 

Concord 

33 

1653 

Lancaster 

16 

I636 

Dedham 

34 

May,  1655 

Groton 

17 

1639 

Rowley 

35 

"        " 

Billerica 

18 

" 

Sudbury 

36 

a        a 

Chelmsford 

170 


Distinguished  Citizens 

AMONG  the  distinguished  men  who  have  made  their  homes 
in  the  town  of  Groton  are  two  Governors  of  the  Common- 
wealth, one  United  States  Senator,  four  other  members  of 
Congress,  beside  a  Delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  two 
members  of  the  President's  Cabinet,  an  Assistant  Secretary  of 
State,  various  Justices  and  Chief-Justices  of  different  Courts, 
three  Speakers  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives, 
an  Attorney-General  of  the  Commonwealth,  a  President  of  the 
State  Senate,  and  three  members  of  the  Executive  Council. 


English  Oaks 

I  HAVE  on  my  place  at  Groton  four  oak  saplings  growing  from 
acorns  sent  me,  in  the  autumn  of  1904,  from  Groton,  England. 
They  are  to-day  rather  small  specimens  of  what  they  may 
become,  if  they  live  to  maturity.  When  they  are  of  suitable 
size,  it  is  my  intention  to  have  them  transplanted  in  some 
spots  closely  associated  with  the  history  of  the  town.  It  is 
hoped  that  thus  they  will  tend  to  foster  and  keep  alive  an 
interest  between  the  English  Groton  and  its  namesake  here, 
—  places  connected  by  sentiment,  though  separated  in  age  by 
centuries  of  time  and  in  distance  by  thousands  of  miles. 

Together  with  the  acorns  some  beech-nuts  also  were  sent 
me  from  the  manor  of  Groton,  which  were  duly  planted,  but 
the  saplings  died  the  second  year.  Several  small  elms  came  in 
the  same  collection,  but  none  of  them  outlived  the  removal. 


Town  Seal 


THIS  design  of  a  seal  for  the  town  of  Groton  was  adopted 
on  April  4,  1898.  It  is  a  simple  one,  and  is  intended  to  typify 
the  character  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  Bible  represents  the  faith  of  the  early  settlers  who  went 
into  the  wilderness  and  suffered  innumerable  privations  in 
their  daily  life  as  well  as  encountered  many  dangers  from 
savage  foes.  Throughout  Christendom  to-day  it  is  the  corner- 
stone of  religion  and  morality. 

The  Plough  is  significant  of  the  general  occupation  of  the 
inhabitants.  By  it  the  early  settlers  broke  up  the  land  and 
earned  their  livelihood;  and  ever  since  in  the  tillage  of  the 
soil  it  has  been  an  invaluable  help  to  their  successors. 


First  Parish  Meeting- House,  Groton 


THIS  cut,  taken  from  a  drawing  made  in  the  year  1838,  by 
John  Warner  Barber,  originally  appeared  in  his  Historical 
Collections  of  Massachusetts  (Worcester,  1839).  I*  represents 
the  First  Parish  Meeting-house  before  it  was  remodelled  in 
1839,  when  it  was  partially  turned  round,  and  the  north  end 
made  the  front,  facing  the  west.  The  Academy  building,  on 
the  right  of  the  meeting-house,  was  enlarged  in  the  autumn 
of  1846,  and  subsequently  burned  on  July  4,  1868.  The  fence 
was  built  round  the  Common  in  front  of  the  meeting-house, 
in  the  autumn  of  1842,  the  last  post  being  placed  at  the 
northwest  corner  on  October  3  of  that  year. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abenaqui  Indians,  the,  36,  37,  104. 

Acadia,  51. 

Acadians  in  Groton,  51. 

Ahasombamet,  101. 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  47,  109,  no,  126. 

Allen/Timothy,  81,  85,  86,  87,  89. 

Almack,  Richard,  138. 

Almy,  Job,  46. 

Amarascoggin,  101. 

Ames,  Jacob,  49,  113. 

— ,  John,  49,  113. 

,  name  of,  50. 

Amherst,  N.  H.,  56,  57,  61. 

Amsaquonte,  100,  101. 

Andros,    Edmund,    governor   of   New 

England,  123. 
Androscoggin,  41. 
Archives  of  the  Marine  and  Colonies, 

the,  96. 
Assacombuit,    100.     See  also  Nassa- 

combeivit. 

Augary,  John.    See  Longley,  John. 
Austen,  Sir  Henry  E.,  138. 
Ayer,  Mass.,  133,  168. 

Baldwin,  Marvin  Morse,  143. 

Bambazeen  (Bomaseen),  99,  101,  102. 

Bancroft,  Capt.  Benjamin,  155. 

,  Lieut.,  39. 

,  name  of,  50. 

Baptist  Meeting-house  (Groton),  30, 
60,  92,  98. 

Barber,  John  W.,  his  "Historical  Col- 
lections of  Massachusetts,"  172. 

Barnstable,  Mass.,  74,  169. 

Barron,  Ellis,  79,  87,  89. 

Bay,  the,  road  to,  33,  71. 

Belcher,  Gov.  Jonathan,  46,  109,  128. 

Belknap,  Rev.  Jeremy,  quoted,  58. 

Bellevue,  Ohio,  142. 

Berwick,  Me.,  35. 

Bigelow,  Hon.  Timothy,  57. 

Billerica,  Mass.,  33,  122,  169. 

Blanchard  family,  the,  62. 

Blood,  James,  112. 

John,  15. 

Joseph,  22. 

name  of,  18. 

Richard,  15,  72,  74,  77,  86,  89,  91. 

Robert,  15. 


Bonat,  Marguerite,  108. 

"Book  of  the  General  Lawes  and 
Libertyes,"  the,  149. 

Boston,  14,  22,  25,  29,  30,  31,  34,  46, 
47,  52,  61,  95,  98,  145,  146,  150,  169; 
census  returns,  12;  early  route  from 
Groton,  33 ;  correspondence  between 
Overseers  and  Groton,  53-54;  stage- 
coach line  to  Groton,  60. 

"Boston   News-Letter,"    the,    quoted, 

4i>  145- 

Boston  Public  Library,  the,  94. 
Boutwell,  Governor,  71,  81,  119,  120, 

147,  158. 

Bowers,  Capt.  Jerathmel,  44. 
Boxford,  England,  138,  139. 
Boydon,  Thomas,  87. 
Boynton,  John,  122. 
Bradstreet,  Lieut.  Dudley,  51. 

— ,  Rev.  Dudley,  44,  50,  51,  123. 
-,  Simon,  123. 


Brakelond,  Jocelin  de,  164. 
Brattle,  William,  97. 
•,  Thomas,  25. 


Brattleborough,  Vt.,  51. 
Brazer,  James,  146. 
"Brief  History  of  the  Warr  with  the 
Indians  in  New-England,"  Mather's, 

3°- 

Broad  Meadow  (Groton),  28,  147. 
Brookfield,  Mass.,  24. 
Brookline,  N.  H.,  130. 
Brown,  killed  by  Indians,  44. 
Browne,  Benjamin,  46. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  126. 
Bulkley,  John,  56. 

Bunker  Hill,  the  battle  of,  58,  106,  107. 
Butler,   Caleb,  62;   his  "History,"  15, 

42,  62,  71,  99,  154. 
Butterfield,  Samuel,  43,  44,  99. 
Byfield,  Mrs.  Sarah,  146. 

Cagnawaga  Indians,  the,  109. 

Caille,  M.,  105. 

Cambridge,  17,  29,  55,  58,  106,  159, 

169. 
Canada,  35,  36,  37,  38,  44,  45,  47,  5°> 

61,  100,  101,  103,  107,  108,  109,  no, 

"3- 
Carlor  [Kerley],  Lieut.  Henry,  94. 


176 


Gary,  Mathew,  38. 

Casco,  Me.,  35. 

Casco  Bay,  38,  100. 

Caughnawaga,  47,  48,  109,  in. 

Century,  a,  why  celebrated,  n. 

Chamberlain,  John,  50. 

Champigny,  96. 

Chaplin,  Rev.  Daniel,  56,  59,  143. 

Chaplin    Schoolhouse    (Groton),    the, 

72,  107. 
Charles  I,  charters  of,   122,   123,  127, 

128. 

Charles  X.,  in. 
Charles  River,  14,  126. 
Charlestovvn,  Mass.,  32,  58,  169. 

—  N.  H.,  51. 
Charlevoix,  36,  96,  98. 
Charters   of   Massachusetts,    122-123, 

126,  127,  128,  129. 
Chelmsford,    Mass.,    33,    42,    44,    122, 

135,  136,  169. 

Chicopee  Row  (Groton),  98,  167. 
Chubbuck,  John,  35. 
Clark,  Col.  Eusebius  Silsby,  158. 
Clary,  John,  74. 
Clinton,  Mass.,  148. 
Cobbet,  Rev.  Thomas,  94. 
Cockermouth.     See  Groton,  N.  H. 
Coleman,  Thomas,  56. 
"Columbian  Centinel,"  the,  60. 
Commission  to  establish  line  between 

Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire, 

the,  127—129. 
Common  (Groton),  the,  62,  156,  157, 

172. 

,  the  Middle,  72. 

,  the  North,  71,  99. 

Concord,  Mass.,  26,  57,  94,  169. 

,  N.  H.,  22,  34,  102. 

Connecticut     Historical     Society,     its 

Collections,  21. 
Connecticut  River,  51. 
"Continuation  of  the  Narrative  of  the 

Indian  Charity  School,"  Wheelock's, 

in. 
Cooper,  John,  92. 

,  Timothy,  15,  18,  30,  92,  95. 

Corey,  Aaron,  59,  60. 
"Cornwallis,"  a,  147,  148. 
Cortland,  N.  Y.,  143. 
Crispe,  Mrs.  Benjamin,  103. 

Dana,  Samuel,  157. 

,  Rev.  Samuel,  sketch  of,  55-57. 

Dana  School  (Groton),  the,  57. 
Danforth,  Jonathan,  17,  18. 

,  Rev.  Samuel,  72. 

Davis,  Dolor,  18. 
,  John,  42. 


Davis's  Fordway,  42. 

Deerfield,  Mass.,  46. 

Denison,  Major-General,  24. 

Dennie,  Joseph,  59. 

Desertion  of  frontier  towns,  an  act  to 

prohibit,  38. 
Detroit,  126. 
Devens,  Goodwife,  94. 
Dickinson,  James,  156. 

,  Mrs.  Sarah,  156. 

•,  Thomas,  22. 


Dickson,  Walter,  42. 

"Dictionnaire  Genealogique  des  Fa- 
milies Canadiennes,"  37. 

Division,  N.  Y.,  143. 

Dix  family,  the,  62. 

"Documents  relating  to  the  Colonial 
History  of  the  State  of  New  York," 
34,  41,  101. 

Domesday  Book,  19,  20,  138,  164, 
165. 

Dorchester,  Mass.,  14,  169. 

Douglass,  Dr.  William,  his  "Summary, 
Historical  and  Political,"  150. 

Dover,  N.  H.,  100. 

Drew,,  Thomas,  38. 

Dudley,  Gov.  Joseph,  45,  123. 

Dunstable,  Mass.,  25,  34,  49,  50,  130, 

!33»  J67- 

Dunstable  highway,  the,  71. 
Dupont,  Madeleine,  105. 
Durham,  N.  H.,  41,  100,  101. 

Egeremet,  101. 

Eliot's  church  in  Roxbury,  73. 

Emerson,  Dearborn,  60. 

-,  Rev.  Joseph,  131,  154. 


Everett,  Edward,  52. 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  39. 

Fairbanks,  Lieut.  Jabez,  49. 

Fairfield,  William,  46. 

Farmer,  Daniel,  50. 

Farmers'   Row  (Groton),  30,   45,   92, 

107,  147. 
Farnsworth,  Ebenezer,  51. 

,  Elizabeth,  157. 

,  Rev.  James  D.,  100. 

,  Matthias,  44,  45. 

,  name  of,  18. 


Farrington,  Matthew,  15,  18. 
Farwell,  Deacon,  155. 

,  Joseph,  his  note-book,  155,  156. 


Firelands  Historical  Society,  the,  142. 

First  Parish  Meeting-house  (Groton) 
the,  154-158,  172.  See  also  Meeting- 
house in  Groton. 

Fiske,  James,  74,  89,  90,  135,  136. 

,  Rev.  John,  135. 


177 


Fitchburg,  Mass.,  61. 

Flint,  George,  61. 

Foot  Company,  the,  35. 

Fort  Dummer,  50,  51. 

Fovel,  in. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  29. 

Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  no. 

Fremont,  Ohio,  142. 

French  and  Indian  War,  the,  51. 

Frontenac,  Count  de,  37,  98. 

Fryeburg,  Me.,  50. 

Fuller,  Rev.  Arthur  Buckminster,  158. 

Fuller,  Margaret,  158. 

"Galaxy,"  the,  48. 

Garrison-houses  in  Groton,  92. 

George,  Horace,  60. 

Gilson,  Joseph,  89. 

,  name  of,  18. 

,  Mrs.  Sarah  (Capell),  157. 

Gonvil  and  Caius  College,  73. 

Grant,  Goodman,  79. 

Grantham  (Groton),  32. 

Greaton,  19. 

Greene,  William,  79. 

"Grey  Hound"  tavern,  the  (Roxbury), 
19. 

Groaten  River,  Nashua  River  so 
called,  21. 

Grotena  of  Domesday  Book,  the,  19. 

Groton,  Conn.,  19,  140,  143,  163. 

Groton,  England,  19,  20,  137-139,  163- 
166,  170. 

Groton,  Mass.,  143,  153,  158,  159,  169; 
destroyed  by  Indians,  12,  22,  30-32, 
93~95!  township  granted,  13,  70, 
121-123,  I26;  petition  for  planta- 
tion, 15-18;  first  selection  of,  18; 
origin  of  name,  19,  137,  163-166; 
various  spellings  of  name,  20 ;  brand- 
mark  of,  21 ;  complaint  of  improper 
management  by  proprietors,  21,  22; 
disturbed  by  Indians,  22—26,  41— 
51,  91-105,  107-113;  in  Philip's 
War,  25,  26,  29-33;  petition  for 
relief  from  county  charges,  33;  so- 
cial conditions  in  early  days,  33- 
34;  garrison  at,  35-36,  48,  49,  95- 
98;  second  attack  by  Indians,  36- 
40,  95-102;  Acadians  in,  51;  cor- 
respondence with  Overseers  of  Bos- 
ton, 53-54;  in  the  American  Revo- 
lution, 54-58;  connected  with  Shays's 
Rebellion,  59;  stage  lines  of,  59- 
61;  taverns  in,  60;  changes  in, 
62;  meaning  of  monuments  in,  69; 
early  meeting-houses  and  ministers, 
70-91;  garrison-houses  of,  92;  town 
re-established  after  Indian  attack, 


95;  character  of  early  settlers,  123- 
124,  133-136;  deprived  of  territory, 
130-133;  connected  with  Deane 
Winthrop,  137;  pronunciation  of 
name,  144;  early  customs  and 
manners,  144-152;  plants  of,  150; 
advance  of  temperance,  150-151; 
First  Parish  Meeting-house,  154- 
158;  distinguished  citizens,  170; 
town  seal  of,  171. 

Groton,  N.  H.,  19,  140. 

,  N.  Y.,  19,  143. 

,  Ohio,  141,  142. 

— ,  S.  D.,  144. 

,  Vt.,  19,  140-141. 

Groton  Artillery,  the,  148. 

Groton  Historical  Society,  the,  122. 

Groton  Inn,  the,  157. 

Groton  Musical  Association,  the,  84. 

Groton  Place,  England,  139. 

Hall,  Hon.  Isaac  Newton,  141. 

Hall  brothers,  the,  60. 

Hampton,  N.  H.,  127. 

Hampton  Falls,  N.  H.,  128. 

Hanover,  N.  H.,  in. 

Hartwell,    Dr.    Edward    Mussey,    his 

letter  on  name  of  Groton,  163-166. 
Harvard,  Mass.,  105,  132,  133,  168. 
Harvard  College,  15,  26,  29,  75. 
Haven,  Richard,  15. 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  35. 
Hawkins,  Dr.  William,  25. 
Hayes,    Rutherford   B.,    President   of 

the  U.  S.,  142. 
Healy,  Nathaniel,  43. 
Hector.     See  Miles,  Hezekiah. 
Henchman,  Thomas,  25. 
High    School    (Groton),    the,    70,    92, 

156. 

Hill,  Sally  Morse,  141. 
Hinckly,  Thomas,  18. 
"Historical  Collections  of  Massachu- 
setts," Barber's,  172. 
"History   of   Massachusetts,"   Hutch- 

inson's,  47,  98,  109. 
"History  of  New  England,"  Palfrey's, 

123. 
"History    of    New    France,"    Shea's 

edition,  36,  96. 
"History  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin 

Counties,    N.    Y.,"    Hough's,    109, 

no,  in. 
' '  History  of  the  Wars  of  New-England," 

Penhallow's,  41,  42,  43,  49. 
Hobart,  Rev.  Gershom,  36,  42,  50,  70, 

96,  98;  his  family,  98. 
•,  Gershom,  Jr.,  98,  99. 


Holden,  John,  41. 


78 


Holden,  John,  Jr.,  41. 

,  Richard,  89. 

,  Stephen,  41. 

Hollingsworth    Paper-mills,    the,    112, 

147- 

Hollis,  N.  H.,  133,  168. 

Hollis  road,  the,  102. 

Holt,  John,  61. 

Homer,  Rev.  Jonathan,  43. 

Homestead  Acts,  the,  18. 

Hough,  Dr.  Franklin  B.,  his  "History 
of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin  Coun- 
ties, N.  Y.,"  109,  no,  in. 

Hubbard,  John,  30,  94. 

,  Rev.  William,  his  account  of 

Indian  attack  on  Groton,  30,  94. 

Hutchinson,  Gov.  Thomas,  his  "His- 
tory of  Massachusetts,"  47,  98,  109. 

"Indian  Roll,"  the,  70. 

Indian  words,  list  of,  167-168. 

Indians,  13,  69,  71,  107,  no;  destroy 
Groton,  12,  22,  30-32,  93-95;  cause 
disturbances  about  Groton,  22-26, 
29-33>  34,  4I-51,  9I~I°5,  107-113; 
make  second  attack  on  Groton,  36- 
40,  95-98. 

Jacobs,  Charles,  147. 

James  II,  commissions  from,  123. 

James's  Brook,  92,  105,  147. 

Jenkins,  Ann,  101. 

Johnson,  Edward,  15;  his  "Wonder- 
Working  Providence,"  15,  73. 

,  Mrs.,  51. 

Journals  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  Massachusetts,  57. 

Keene,  N.  H.,  157. 
Kennebec  Indians,  the,  97. 
Kerley,  Lieut.  Henry,  94. 
Kettle,  Goodwife,  94. 
King  George's  War,  50. 
King  William's  War,  36,  95. 
Knapp,  Elizabeth,  28. 

,  James,  78,  79,  87,  88,  89. 

Knox  manuscripts,  the,  104. 

Lachine,  Canada,  108,  109. 
Lakin,  Isaac,  113. 

-• ,  John,  15,  35,  36,  90. 

Lakin,  William,  15,  23,  78,  88,  89,  90, 

91,  96,  98,  102. 
Lamorandiere,  Jacques  Urbain  Robert 

de,  1 08. 
Lancaster,  Mass.,  15,  21,  24,    25,  32, 

34,  41,  42,  94,  95,  105,  168,  169. 
Lancaster  highway,  the,  71. 


Lawrence,  Amos,  155. 

Enosh,  40,  112. 

James,  107. 

John,  74. 

Joseph,  74. 

name  of,  18. 

Nathaniel,  23,  78,  87,  88,  90. 

Peleg,  89. 

Lawrence  Academy,  105,  147,  163. 
Lawrence  farm,  the,  45. 
Le  Ber,  Jacques,  105. 
Ledyard,  William,  19,  140. 
Leverett,  Gov.  John,  23. 
Littleton,  Mass.,  133,  163,  168. 
Locke,  N.  Y.,  143. 
Lodowick,  Mr.,  97. 
Loker,  John,  105. 

,  Mary  (Draper),  105. 


London,  31,  138. 

Long  Melford,  England,  138. 

Longley,  Betty,  37,  103. 

,  Deliverance    (Crisp),    37,     102, 


104. 
— ,  John,  37,  38,  74,  103,  104;  his 

family,  98. 

,  Lydia,  37,  44,  45,  100,  103,  104. 

— ,  William,  37,  38,  74,  86,  90,  91, 

IOO,    102,    103,    104,    112. 

-,  William,  Sen.,  103. 


Lorette,  in. 
Louisburg,  Cape  Breton,  131. 
Lovewell,  Capt.  John,  50. 
Lovewell's  fight,  113. 
Lowell,  Mass.,  61. 

Madocawando,  104. 

"Magnalia    Christi    Americana,"    28, 

36»  39,  95,  I0°- 

Main  Street  (Groton),  60,  62. 

Maine,  37,  38,  101. 

March,  Capt.,  102. 

Marcoux,  Rev.  Francis,  112. 

Maricourt,  de,  105. 

Marlboro,  Mass.,  25. 

Martin,  William,  15,  18. 

Martin's  Pond  road,  the,  99. 

Mason,  N.  H.,  130. 

Massachusetts,  charters  of,  122-123, 
126,  127,  128,  129. 

Massachusetts-Bay  Colony,  list  of  first 
established  towns  in,  169. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  its 
Proceedings,  43,  58,  97;  its  Collec- 
tions, 28,  43,  53,  97. 

Mather,  Rev.  Cotton,  41;  his  "Mag- 
nalia," 28,  36,  39,  95,  100. 

,   Rev.   Increase,   94;    his  "Brief 


History,"  30. 
Mattapan,  Mass.,  14. 


179 


Meeting-house  in  Groton,  the  first, 
70-71,  77-91,  93;  the  second,  71- 
72,  84,  107.  See  also  First  Parish 
Meeting-house. 

Meriel,  108. 

Merrimack  River,  15,  34,  50,  98,  102, 
126,  127,  128,  129,  130,  150,  168. 

Middlesex  County,  Mass.,  13,  25,  57, 

59,  159. 

Miles,  Hezekiah,  101. 
Miller,  Rev.  John,  26,  72;    sketch  of, 

73-74- 

,  John,  Jr.,  74. 

,  Lydia,  74. 

,  Susannah,  74. 

Milwaukee,  Wis.,  126. 

Monaco,  John,  95. 

Monadnock,  N.  H.,  49. 

Montreal,  37,  47,  51,  103,  104,  108. 

Moore,  Capt.  Jacob,  35. 

Moors,  Benjamin,  147. 

,  name  of,  18. 

Morse,  Capt.  Edmund,  140,  141. 

,  John,  30,  79,  88,  89,  94,  95. 

• ,  Sally  (Wesson),  140. 

Moseley,  Capt.  Samuel,  24. 
My  rick,  John,  43. 

Nashaway.     See  Lancaster,  Mass. 

Nashua,  N.  H.,  61,  130,  133,  153; 
meaning  of  word,  21. 

Nashua  River,  21,  49,  112,  131,  133, 
167,  168. 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  142. 

Nassacombewit,  99. 

Nerigawag.     See  Norridgewock. 

"New  and  Further  Narration  of  the 
State  of  New  England,"  32. 

New  England,  early  ignorance  con- 
cerning, 126,  127. 

New  England  Historic  Genealogical 
Society,  the,  100,  104,  121. 

"New  England  Historical  and  Gene- 
alogical Register,"  46;  quoted,  15, 
19. 

New  Hampshire,  50,  60,  61,  127,  128, 
129,  130. 

New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  130. 

New  London,  Conn.,  49. 

New  Orleans,  battle  of,  153. 

New  York  (state),  no. 

Newbury,  Mass.,  73,  169. 

Newichewanick.     See  Berwick,  Me. 

"News  from  New  England,"  32. 

Newton,  Mass.,  43 ;  Homer's  "History 

of,"  43- 

Nicholson,  Capt.  Francis,  34. 
Nonacoicus,  35. 
Norfolk  County,  Mass.,  25. 


Norridgewock,  99,  100,  102. 
Northfield,  Mass.,  150. 
Norwalk,  Ohio,  142. 
Notre    Dame    (Montreal),    the    Con- 
gregation of,  37,  103,  104,  108. 
Nova  Scotia,  51,  106. 
Noyes,  Capt.  Oliver,  45. 

,  Thomas,  21. 

Nutting,  John,    30,  74,  76,  87,  92,  93, 

95.  r35,  *3°- 

,  name  of,  18. 

,  "Widow,"  93. 

Old  South  Church,  Boston,  29. 
Oliver,  Mary  (Wilson),  106. 
-,  Hon.  Thomas,  106. 


Oyster  River.     See  Durham,  N.  H. 

Page,  John,  22. 

Paige,  John,  35,  87,  91. 

Paine,  Robert  Treat,  27. 

Palfrey,  John  G.,  his  "History  of  New 

England,"  123. 
Parish,  Robert,  22. 
Parker,  Jacob  Lakin,  146. 

,  James,  23,  24,  35,  74,  77,  78,  87, 

88,  89,  90,  91,  92,  93,  135,  136. 
,  James,  Jr.,  40,  99,  100,  112;   his 

family,  98. 

Serg.  James,  27. 

John  Warren,  158. 

Joseph,  21,  89. 

Josiah,  40,  99. 

name  of,  18,  50. 

Obadiah,  155. 

Phinehas,  40. 


Parkman,  Francis,  96. 
Partridge,  Samuel,  54. 
Pascaud,  Etienne,  108. 
Patch,  Zara,  157. 
Paugus,  50. 

Peabody  Normal  College,  142. 
Pemberton,  Dr.  Ebenezer,  29. 
Pemigewasset  River,  128. 
Penacook.     See  Concord,  N.  H. 
Penhallow,   Samuel,   his   "History   of 
the  Wars  of  New-England,"  41,  42, 

43,  49- 

Penobscot,  104. 
Penobscot  Indians,  the,  97. 
Pepperell,  Mass.,   49,    106,   130,   131, 

132,  133,  148,  154,  167,  168. 
Pepperrell,  Sir  William,  131. 
Pequawket,  50,  113. 
Pescadoue.     See  Piscataqua. 
Petapawage,  former  name  of  Groton, 

17,  164,  168. 
Petaupauket,  15,  168. 
Philip's  War,  25,  26,  29-33,  7°.  93,  93- 


i8o 


Pigwacket.     See  Pequawket. 

Pike,    Rev.    John,    his    Journal,    42, 

.44,  97- 

Piscataqua,  36,  96. 
Pitcairn,  Maj.  John,  58. 
Pleasant  Street  (Groton),  60. 
Plymouth    Colony,    74;     list    of    first 

established  towns  in,  169. 
Pontchartrain,  Minister,  96. 
Pope,  the,  in. 
Pound  (Groton),  the,  71. 
Powder  House  Road,  147. 
Pratt,  John,  35. 
Prescott,  Abigail  (Oliver),  105,  106. 

Benjamin,  104,  105,  106. 

John,  105. 

Jonas,  35,  105,  106. 

Mary  (Platts),  105. 

name  of,  18,  50. 

—   Oliver,  53,  57. 

William,  106. 

Col.  William,  54,  55,  105,  106. 

Mrs.  William,  106. 

William  Hickling,  106. 

Prince  Collection,  the,  94. 
"Province  Gaily,"  the,  38,  100. 

Quaboag  (Brookfield),  24. 

Quebec,  38,  45. 

Queen  Anne's  War,  47,  48,  109. 

Rawson,  Edward,  18,  25,  121,  122. 

Read,  John,  46. 

Records  of  Massachusetts,  quoted,  23. 

Remington,  Jonathan,  35. 

Revere  and  Son,  158. 

Revolution,  the  American,  Groton  in, 

54-58- 

Richardson,  Jephthah,  60. 
Ridgway,  James,  157. 
Ripley,  Rev.  Silvanus,  in. 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  126. 
Rockwood,  Mrs.  Sarah  Chaplin,  143. 
Rogers,  Rev.  Ezekiel,  73. 

,  William,  47. 

Rome,  in. 
Ross,  Charley,  38. 

— ,  Christian  K.,  38. 
Rouse,  Alexander,  38,  100;  his  family, 

98. 

,  "Tamasin,"  38,  100. 

Rowley,  Mass.,  73,  169. 

Roxbury,  Mass.,  19,  72,  73,  76,  123, 

145,  169. 

St.  Edmund,  20. 
St.  Francis  Indians,  51. 
St.  Lawrence  River,  109,  no. 
St.   Madeleine,    Sister.     See   Longley, 
Lydia. 


St.  Regis,  47,  109,  no,  in,  112. 
St.  Regis  Indians,  the,  no. 
Salem,  Mass.,  46,  54,  169. 
Salisbury,  Mass.,  128,  169. 
Saltonstall,      Gurdon,      Governor     of 

Conn.,  49. 

Sandusky,  Ohio,  143. 
Sawtell,  Joseph,  146. 

,  name  of,  18. 

,  Richard,  74. 


Seager,  Ebenezer,  43. 
,  Henry,  Jr.,  43. 


Sewall,  Judge  Samuel,  his  Diary,  97, 

99,  *45- 

Shattuck,  Elizabeth,  113. 
,  John,  48,  112. 
,  Mrs.  John,  113. 
,  John,  Jr.,  48,  112. 
,  name  of,  18. 
,  Ruth,  113. 


Shays's  Rebellion,  59. 

Shea's   edition   of   "History   of   New 

France,"  36,  96. 
Shepley,  Hon.  Ether,  48,  99. 

—   Gen.  George  F.,  48,  99. 

John,  48;  his  family,  98. 

John,  Jr.,  48,  99,  too,  102. 

name  of,  50. 

Samuel,  15. 


Shepley  family,  the,  99. 
Sherman,  Abigail.     See  Willard,  Mrs. 
Samuel. 

,  Rev.  John,  27,  76. 


Shirley,  Mass.,  132,  133,  167,  168. 
,  Gov.  William,  132. 


Shrimpton,  Col.  Samuel,  97. 
Smith,  John,  74. 
,  Thomas,  89. 


Squannacook,  112,  146,  168. 

Stage-coach  lines  of  Groton,  50-61. 

Stamp  Act,  the,  52. 

State  Archives,  121;  quoted,  21,  24, 
25;  cited,  22,  30,  35,  38,  40,  41,  42, 
43,  44,  48,  49,  58, 94,  97, 100, 101, 102. 

Stoddard,  Capt.  John,  45;  his  "Jour- 
nal," 46. 

Stone,  Benjamin,  155. 

,  Deacon,  155. 

,  name  of,  18. 

,  Simon,  39,  40. 


Stony  Fordway,  the,  112. 
Stoughton,  Gov.  William,  41,  101. 
Stow,  Mass.,  57. 
Sudbury,  England,  138. 

-,  Mass.,  31,  42,  105,  169. 


"Summary,  Historical  and  Political," 

Douglass's,  150. 
Swan,  R.  F.,  139. 
Syracuse,  126. 


Tanguay,   1'Abbe"  Cyprien,   his  "Dic- 

tionnaire  Genealogique,"  37. 
Tarbell,  Battice,  no. 

Eleazer,  in. 

Elizabeth  (Wood),  107,  108. 

John,  44,  45,  107,  108,  109,  no, 
ii  ,  113. 

Lesor,  110,  in. 

Loran,  no. 

Louis,  no. 

Mitchell,  no. 

name  of,  18,  47. 

Peter,  no. 

Capt.  Samuel,  155. 

Sarah,  44,  45,  107,  108,  113. 

Thomas,  45,  50,  89. 

Thomas  (Indian),  no. 

Thomas,  Jr.,  22,  45,  46,  47,  74, 

107,  108,  1 10,  168. 

Zechariah,  44,  45,  107,  108,  109, 
no,  in,  113. 
Taverns  in  Groton,  60. 
Taxous,  36,  96,  97,  98. 
Taylor,  Col.  William,  44. 

,  Lieut.  Joseph,  in. 

Telegraph,  the,  influence  of,  153. 

Telegraph  and  Despatch  Line,  the,  61. 

Telephone,  153. 

Temperance,  advance  of,  150-151. 

Temple,  N.  H.,  55. 

Thacher,  Rev.  Thomas,  29. 

Thames  River,  Conn.,  140. 

Tinker,  John,  18. 

Tiverton,  R.  I.,  46. 

Tohaunto,  Indian  chief,  22. 

Torakaron,  Joseph,  in. 

Torrey,  William,  18,  121. 

Town  incorporation,  14,  120,  121. 

Towns,    Massachusetts,    list    of    first 

established,  169. 
Townsend,  Mass.,  130,  131. 
Trimountaine,  14. 
Trowbridge,  Rev.  Caleb,  156. 
"True  Account  of  the  most  Consider- 
able Occurrences,"  etc.,  31. 
Tyng,  Edward,  27. 
,  Eunice,  27. 

Union  and  Accommodation  Line,  the 

60. 
"Useful   Instructions,"    Willard's,    27 

81-83- 
Usher,  Hezekiah,  35. 

Vermont,  60,  61. 
Villieu,  97. 
Virginia,  73. 


,  Maj.  Nathaniel,  35. 
Waldron,  Richard,  22. 
Waltham,  Mass.,  15. 
Ward,  Gen.  Artemas,  107. 
Warumbee,  101. 
Watertown,   Mass.,    14,    27,    76,    132, 

169. 

Waubansconcett,  15. 
Webster,  Rev.  Samuel,  55. 
Wells,  Thomas,  46. 
Wells  River,  Vt.,  141. 
Wenham,  Mass.,  46. 
West  Groton.     See  Squannacook. 
Westford,  Mass.,  122,  133,  167,  168. 
Weston  Hall,  England,  92. 
Wheatsborough.     See  Groton,  Ohio. 
Wheelock,  Eleazer,  his  "Continuation 

of  the  Narrative  of  the  Indian  Char- 
ity School,"  in. 
Wheelock's,  I.   &  S.,  60. 
White,  Corporal,  35. 
Whitney,  Joshua,  79. 
Wilder,  Lieut.,  41. 
Willard,  Col.  Josiah,  51. 

,  Miriam,  51. 

— ,  Moses,  51. 

— ,  Rev.  Samuel,  31,  51,  70,  92; 
sketch  of  life,  26-29;  his  pastorate 
in  Groton,  74-91;  his  "Useful  In- 
structions," 27,  81-83. 

— ,  Mrs.  Samuel,  27,  76,  80. 

— ,  Sarah,  97. 

-,  Major  Simon,  24,  25,  26,  32,  90. 


William  and  Mary,  charters  of,   123, 

128. 

Williams,  John,  45. 
Winnepesauke  River,  128. 
Winthrop,  Mass.,  137. 

,  Deane,  17,  19,  137,  164. 

,  Gov.  Fitz-John,  137,  140. 

,  Gov.  John,  19,  137,  139,  164. 

,  Robert  C.,  139;  letter  from,  137. 

Witchcraft  in  Groton,  28. 
Witt,  John,  15,  18. 
Woburn,  Mass.,  73. 
"  Wonder- Working  Providence,"  John- 
son's, 15,  73. 
Woods,  Eber,  92. 

,  Lieut.  Isaac,  155. 

,  Lieut.  John,  155. 

— ,  Samuel,  74,  78. 
Woolley,  Charles,  15,  121. 
Worcester,  Mass.,  61. 
Wright,  Elizur,  151. 

Yarmouth,  Mass.,  72,  74,  169. 


